| Recurring |
one_organization, multiple_organization |
(a) The software failure incident related to the hacking campaign using SilentFade on Facebook and Instagram accounts has happened again within the same organization. Facebook first went public about the hacking campaign in December, where it sued a company based in Hong Kong and two Chinese nationals for creating the malware behind the attacks. The company said the campaign compromised hundreds of thousands of accounts, and the company reimbursed more than $4 million in ad payments to users. The incident involved attackers exploiting a weakness in Facebook's code to compromise user accounts and place scammy ads [105069].
(b) The software failure incident related to the hacking campaign using SilentFade on Facebook and Instagram accounts could potentially happen at other organizations or on all social media platforms. Facebook cybersecurity experts mentioned that the company expects similar campaigns to become even more popular with hackers on all social media platforms. Nathaniel Gleicher, Facebook's head of cybersecurity policy, emphasized the need for collaboration between antivirus makers and social media platforms to stop such hacking campaigns, indicating a potential threat to multiple organizations [105069]. |
| Phase (Design/Operation) |
design, operation |
(a) The software failure incident related to the design phase can be attributed to a weakness in Facebook's code that allowed hackers to exploit a bug and turn off notifications on certain user accounts, leading to a complex hacking campaign [105069].
(b) The software failure incident related to the operation phase occurred as hackers compromised victims by tricking them into installing malware onto their devices, allowing them to steal passwords or session cookies for Facebook and Instagram accounts, and place scammy ads using compromised accounts [105069]. |
| Boundary (Internal/External) |
within_system, outside_system |
(a) within_system: The software failure incident described in the article was primarily due to a vulnerability within Facebook's code that allowed hackers to exploit and carry out a complex hacking campaign. The hackers were able to turn off notifications on user accounts by exploiting a weakness in the social network's code, which ultimately led to compromised accounts and the placement of scammy ads using compromised Facebook and Instagram accounts [105069].
(b) outside_system: The incident also involved external factors, such as the hackers themselves who were using a powerful tool called SilentFade to hide their activity from their victims. Additionally, the hackers tricked users into installing SilentFade onto their devices, which then allowed them to steal credentials or session cookies for various platforms including Facebook, Instagram, Twitter, and Amazon [105069]. |
| Nature (Human/Non-human) |
non-human_actions, human_actions |
(a) The software failure incident in this case was primarily due to non-human actions, specifically the exploitation of a weakness in Facebook's code by hackers using a powerful tool called SilentFade. The hackers were able to turn off almost all notifications on certain user accounts by exploiting this vulnerability in the social network's code [105069].
(b) However, human actions also played a role in this software failure incident. The hackers tricked victims into installing the SilentFade malware onto their devices, which then allowed the hackers to steal the victims' Facebook or Instagram passwords or session cookies. Additionally, the hackers used their access to place scammy ads for products like handbags, sunglasses, and diet pills, indicating a deliberate human action to exploit the compromised accounts for financial gain [105069]. |
| Dimension (Hardware/Software) |
software |
(a) The software failure incident related to hardware:
- The article does not mention any hardware-related issues contributing to the software failure incident. Therefore, there is no information available regarding hardware failures in this context.
(b) The software failure incident related to software:
- The software failure incident in the article is primarily attributed to a bug in Facebook's code that allowed attackers to exploit a weakness in the social network's code. This bug enabled the attackers to turn off almost all notifications on certain user accounts, leading to a complex hacking campaign involving placing scammy ads using compromised Facebook and Instagram accounts [105069]. |
| Objective (Malicious/Non-malicious) |
malicious |
(a) The software failure incident described in the article is malicious in nature. It involved hackers using a powerful tool called SilentFade to exploit a weakness in Facebook's code to compromise user accounts and place scammy ads using compromised Facebook and Instagram accounts [105069]. The hackers tricked users into installing SilentFade, allowing them to steal credentials, session cookies, and payment information to place ads for products like handbags, sunglasses, and diet pills. The hackers used techniques like "cloaking" to hide the true content of the links in the ads, indicating a deliberate attempt to deceive and profit off their access to the compromised accounts. Additionally, Facebook took legal action against a company and individuals responsible for creating the malware behind the attacks, highlighting the malicious nature of the incident. |
| Intent (Poor/Accidental Decisions) |
poor_decisions, unknown |
(a) The intent of the software failure incident related to poor decisions can be seen in the Facebook hacking campaign described in Article 105069. The hackers behind the SilentFade malware made deliberate decisions to exploit a weakness in Facebook's code to turn off notifications on user accounts, steal credentials, and compromise hundreds of thousands of accounts. These actions were not accidental but rather a result of intentional choices made by the hackers to carry out their malicious campaign [105069].
(b) The intent of the software failure incident related to accidental decisions is not evident in the articles provided. |
| Capability (Incompetence/Accidental) |
development_incompetence, accidental |
(a) The software failure incident in the article can be attributed to development incompetence. The hackers exploited a weakness in Facebook's code to turn off notifications on certain user accounts, allowing them to carry out a complex hacking campaign involving placing scammy ads using compromised Facebook and Instagram accounts. Facebook's cybersecurity experts mentioned the need for more collaboration between antivirus makers and social media platforms to stop such hacking campaigns, indicating a gap in addressing vulnerabilities in the code [105069].
(b) The software failure incident can also be considered accidental as the hackers tricked users into installing the malware onto their devices, leading to the compromise of their Facebook and Instagram accounts. This accidental installation of SilentFade allowed the attackers to steal passwords or session cookies, enabling them to place unauthorized ads on compromised accounts. Additionally, the hackers used deceptive techniques like "cloaking" to hide the true content of the links included in the ads, further illustrating the accidental nature of the incident [105069]. |
| Duration |
permanent |
(a) The software failure incident described in the article is more of a permanent nature. The incident involved a complex hacking campaign called SilentFade that allowed attackers to compromise Facebook and Instagram accounts by exploiting a weakness in the social network's code. Facebook fixed the bug that allowed attackers to turn off notifications, rendering SilentFade no longer in use on the company's platforms. However, the company expects similar campaigns to become more popular with hackers on all social media platforms, indicating a persistent threat ([105069]). |
| Behaviour |
value, other |
(a) crash: The software failure incident described in the article does not involve a crash where the system loses state and does not perform any of its intended functions. Instead, the incident involves hackers exploiting a weakness in Facebook's code to carry out a complex hacking campaign [105069].
(b) omission: The incident does not involve the system omitting to perform its intended functions at an instance(s). Rather, the hackers were able to manipulate the system to carry out unauthorized activities such as turning off notifications on user accounts and placing scammy ads using compromised accounts [105069].
(c) timing: The failure is not related to the system performing its intended functions correctly but too late or too early. The incident revolves around hackers compromising user accounts and exploiting vulnerabilities in Facebook's code to carry out malicious activities [105069].
(d) value: The software failure incident does involve the system performing its intended functions incorrectly. Hackers were able to steal credentials, session cookies, and payment information from Facebook and Instagram accounts, and use the compromised access to place unauthorized ads for products like handbags, sunglasses, and diet pills [105069].
(e) byzantine: The incident does not exhibit the characteristics of a byzantine failure where the system behaves erroneously with inconsistent responses and interactions. The hackers in this case had a clear objective of making money through various means using the compromised accounts [105069].
(f) other: The behavior of the software failure incident can be categorized as unauthorized access and exploitation of vulnerabilities in the system's code by hackers to carry out a sophisticated hacking campaign involving stealing credentials, session cookies, and placing scammy ads using compromised accounts [105069]. |