| Recurring |
one_organization, multiple_organization |
(a) The software failure incident having happened again at one_organization:
- The article mentions that the online learning platform Blackboard experienced problems with its website content management system due to a big morning surge in online traffic, leading to websites failing to load or loading slowly on the first day of school [104845].
- It is highlighted that Blackboard faced issues with its learning products, affecting users' ability to register on the first day of school. The company's spokesperson mentioned that they were working on refining their approach to prevent further problems after the system was restored [104845].
(b) The software failure incident having happened again at multiple_organization:
- The article reports that besides Blackboard, other tech companies like Microsoft Teams and Google Drive also encountered issues on the same day, with spikes in reported problems for their services [104845].
- It is mentioned that school systems in various locations such as Idaho, Kansas, and Connecticut experienced technical problems, including a ransomware attack that forced schools in Hartford to postpone the start of classes [104845].
- Instances of online learning platforms crashing in Seattle, Alabama, and North Carolina are also highlighted, indicating a broader trend of software failures in the education sector [104845]. |
| Phase (Design/Operation) |
design, operation |
(a) The software failure incident related to the design phase can be seen in the article where the online learning platform Blackboard experienced issues with its website content management system due to a big morning surge in online traffic. The company reported that the patterns of usage exceeded what they anticipated, leading to the system failure [104845].
(b) The software failure incident related to the operation phase is evident in the article where parents and students faced connection problems, logins, passwords, and connection issues during the first week of online classes. Teachers also struggled with technical difficulties, leading to disruptions in classes and forcing parents to work late at night to help their children with connection problems [104845]. |
| Boundary (Internal/External) |
within_system, outside_system |
From the provided articles, the software failure incident related to the online learning platform Blackboard experiencing glitches on the first day of school due to a surge in online traffic can be categorized as a within_system failure [104845]. Additionally, the article mentions that a ransomware attack forced schools in Hartford, Connecticut, to postpone the start of virtual and in-person classes, which can be categorized as an outside_system failure [104845]. |
| Nature (Human/Non-human) |
non-human_actions, human_actions |
(a) The software failure incident occurring due to non-human actions:
- The online learning platform Blackboard experienced website content management system problems due to a big morning surge in online traffic, which led to websites failing to load or loading slowly [104845].
- Websites like Microsoft Teams and Google Drive also experienced reported problems on the same day, indicating a broader issue with internet services [104845].
(b) The software failure incident occurring due to human actions:
- In Miami-Dade County, software glitches and cyberattacks disrupted the first week of the new school year, with a high school student being arrested and accused of orchestrating network outages. School administrators suspect others may be involved in similar actions [104845].
- Parents and students faced connection problems, logins, passwords, and other issues that impacted the online learning experience, leading to frustration and disruptions in the educational process [104845]. |
| Dimension (Hardware/Software) |
hardware, software |
(a) The software failure incident related to hardware:
- The article mentions that a web hosting service went down in the Houston school system, causing problems for families trying to sign into the district's main classwork portal [104845].
- In Miami-Dade County, software glitches and cyberattacks disrupted the first week of the new school year, with a high school student being arrested and accused of orchestrating a series of network outages [104845].
(b) The software failure incident related to software:
- Blackboard, a prominent online learning platform, experienced issues with its website content management system due to a big morning surge in online traffic, leading to websites failing to load or loading slowly and users being unable to register on the first day of school [104845].
- Other software-related issues were reported across the country, such as Seattle's system crashing, an online learning program used in Alabama and other places going down, and North Carolina's platform crashing on the first day of classes [104845]. |
| Objective (Malicious/Non-malicious) |
malicious, non-malicious |
(a) The software failure incident reported in the articles includes both malicious and non-malicious factors:
Malicious:
- A ransomware attack forced schools in Hartford, Connecticut, to postpone the start of virtual and in-person classes [104845].
- A high school student was arrested and accused of orchestrating a series of network outages in Florida [104845].
- School administrators in Florida believe that other individuals may also be involved in similar cyberattacks [104845].
Non-malicious:
- Blackboard, a major online learning platform, experienced technical issues on the first day of school due to a surge in online traffic, leading to website failures and slow loading times [104845].
- Various school districts across the U.S. faced technical problems, glitches, and crashes as they transitioned to online learning, impacting students, teachers, and parents [104845].
- Software glitches and cyberattacks disrupted the first week of the new school year in Miami-Dade County, Florida, causing connection problems and disruptions in classes [104845]. |
| Intent (Poor/Accidental Decisions) |
accidental_decisions |
(a) The software failure incident reported in the articles seems to be more related to poor_decisions. The incident was primarily caused by a big morning surge in online traffic that exceeded the company's anticipated usage patterns, leading to websites failing to load or loading slowly, users being unable to register, and technical problems for various school districts using the Blackboard platform [104845]. The company spokesperson mentioned that they planned for a surge in traffic but the usage patterns exceeded their expectations, indicating a miscalculation in anticipating the demand and capacity needed to handle the traffic spike. |
| Capability (Incompetence/Accidental) |
development_incompetence, accidental |
(a) The software failure incident related to development incompetence is evident in the article as Blackboard, a prominent online learning platform used by millions of students, experienced website failures and slow loading times on the first day of school. A spokesperson for Blackboard mentioned that the problems with the company's website content management system occurred due to a big morning surge in online traffic, indicating a lack of adequate preparation for the increased usage [104845].
(b) The software failure incident related to accidental factors is highlighted in the article through instances such as the ransomware attack that forced schools in Hartford, Connecticut, to postpone the start of virtual and in-person classes. Additionally, disruptions caused by cyberattacks and network outages, including the arrest of a high school student accused of orchestrating network outages, point to accidental factors contributing to the software failures [104845]. |
| Duration |
temporary |
The software failure incident reported in the articles appears to be temporary rather than permanent. The issues experienced by various school districts and online learning platforms, such as Blackboard, Microsoft Teams, and Google Drive, were attributed to a surge in online traffic and technical problems [104845]. The problems were addressed and resolved within a relatively short period, with efforts being made to prevent similar issues in the future. This indicates that the software failure incidents were temporary and not permanent. |
| Behaviour |
crash, omission, value, other |
(a) crash: The article mentions instances where online learning platforms like Blackboard experienced crashes or failures to load, leading to disruptions in the learning process for students [104845].
(b) omission: The article describes cases where students faced connection problems, screen going blank, inability to hear the teacher, and login issues, resulting in the system omitting to perform its intended functions at those instances [104845].
(c) timing: There are references in the article to delays and disruptions in the start of virtual and in-person classes due to technical problems, such as in Hartford, Connecticut, where the school year was postponed to Wednesday [104845].
(d) value: The incident in Miami-Dade County involved software glitches and cyberattacks disrupting the first week of the new school year, indicating that the system was performing its intended functions incorrectly [104845].
(e) byzantine: The article does not specifically mention any instances of the system behaving erroneously with inconsistent responses and interactions, which would align with a byzantine failure.
(f) other: The article highlights various issues such as technical problems, cyberattacks, network outages, and connection problems faced by students, teachers, and parents during online learning, showcasing a range of software failure behaviors beyond the options provided [104845]. |