| Recurring |
multiple_organization |
(a) The software failure incident having happened again at one_organization:
The article does not mention any previous similar incident happening again within the same organization or with its products and services. Therefore, it is unknown if a similar incident has occurred before at the same organization [107013].
(b) The software failure incident having happened again at multiple_organization:
The article mentions that ransomware attacks have hit various targets in recent years, such as Baltimore’s city government, the website of an Illinois public health district, and the University of California. It also states that at least 18 county or municipal bodies have been impacted by ransomware since the beginning of September. This indicates that similar incidents have happened at multiple organizations [107013]. |
| Phase (Design/Operation) |
design |
(a) The software failure incident in Hall County, Georgia, was due to a ransomware attack that impacted critical systems within the Hall County Government networks, including a voter signature database and a voting precinct map hosted on the county's website. The attack locked up the systems and rendered them unusable until the county paid off the attackers [107013].
(b) The ransomware attack also disrupted other county functions, including phone and email services. The attackers did not specifically target election systems but affected various operations within the county, indicating a failure in the operation of the systems due to the attack [107013]. |
| Boundary (Internal/External) |
within_system, outside_system |
(a) within_system: The software failure incident in Hall County, Georgia, involving a ransomware attack on election infrastructure, was primarily within the system. The attack affected critical systems within the Hall County Government networks, including a voter signature database and a voting precinct map hosted on the county's website [107013]. The attack locked up the victim's computer and rendered it unusable until the victim paid off the attacker, indicating that the failure originated from within the system itself.
(b) outside_system: The ransomware attack on Hall County's election infrastructure was not specifically targeted at election systems but affected various county functions, including phone and email services [107013]. The attackers were described as financial criminals driven by profit, not political actors with a political motive. Additionally, experts mentioned that hackers often run experiments on smaller places and institutions as testing grounds for larger-scale attacks, suggesting that external factors such as hackers' motivations and actions from outside the system contributed to the software failure incident. |
| Nature (Human/Non-human) |
non-human_actions, human_actions |
(a) The software failure incident in Hall County, Georgia, was a ransomware attack, which is a type of malicious software that locks up a victim's computer and renders it unusable until the victim pays off the attacker [107013]. Ransomware attacks are typically carried out by financial criminals driven by profit, not political actors with a political motive. The attackers in this case do not appear to have specifically targeted election systems; other county functions, including phone and email services, were also disrupted [107013].
(b) The ransomware attack on Hall County's systems, including a voter signature database and a voting precinct map, was likely initiated through phishing attacks, which are fraudulent emails containing malicious links or attachments that allow hackers to penetrate unpatched or vulnerable systems [107013]. The incident highlights the importance of being cautious with emails and ensuring systems are secure to prevent such human-induced software failures. |
| Dimension (Hardware/Software) |
software |
(a) The software failure incident in Hall County, Georgia, was not attributed to hardware issues but rather to a ransomware attack on the county's systems. The attack affected various systems, including a voter signature database and a voting precinct map hosted on the county's website. The ransomware locked up the victim's computer systems, rendering them unusable until a ransom was paid [107013].
(b) The software failure incident in Hall County, Georgia, was caused by a ransomware attack, which is a type of malicious software that locks up a victim's computer systems. The attack impacted critical systems within the Hall County Government networks, including a voter signature database and a voting precinct map hosted on the county's website. The incident did not directly target election systems but affected various county functions, such as phone and email services [107013]. |
| Objective (Malicious/Non-malicious) |
malicious |
(a) The software failure incident in Hall County, Georgia, was malicious in nature as it was a ransomware attack, which is a type of malicious software that locks up a victim's computer until a ransom is paid to the attacker [107013]. The attackers did not specifically target election systems but affected various county functions, including a voter signature database and a voting precinct map hosted on the county's website [107013].
(b) The incident was not non-malicious as it was a deliberate cyberattack aimed at disrupting systems and potentially causing harm. The attackers were described as financial criminals driven by profit, not political actors with a political motive [107013]. |
| Intent (Poor/Accidental Decisions) |
unknown |
(a) The intent of the software failure incident related to poor_decisions:
The ransomware attack on Hall County's election infrastructure was not specifically targeted at election systems but affected various county functions, including the voter signature database and voting precinct map. The attackers were described as financial criminals driven by profit, not political actors with a political motive. The incident was seen as an opportunistic attack rather than a targeted effort related to election interference [107013]. |
| Capability (Incompetence/Accidental) |
accidental |
(a) The software failure incident in Hall County, Georgia, involving a ransomware attack on election infrastructure, does not seem to be attributed to development incompetence. The attack was described as a ransomware attack, a type of cyberattack where attackers lock up a victim's computer until a ransom is paid. The attackers in this case were identified as financial criminals driven by profit, not political actors with a political motive [107013].
(b) The ransomware attack on Hall County's systems, including a voter signature database and a voting precinct map, appears to be accidental in nature. The attackers were described as financial criminals seeking profit through ransom payments, rather than having a specific political motive. The incident was not targeted at election systems but affected various county functions, including phone and email services, indicating an accidental impact on the election infrastructure [107013]. |
| Duration |
temporary |
(a) The software failure incident in Hall County, Georgia, due to a ransomware attack can be considered temporary. The attack impacted various systems within the county government networks, including a voter signature database and a voting precinct map hosted on the county's website. County officials mentioned that they were in the process of bringing various programs back online, including the affected systems, indicating that the impact was not permanent [107013]. |
| Behaviour |
other |
(a) crash: The software failure incident in Hall County, Georgia, was not a crash as the voting process for citizens was not impacted despite the network issues caused by the ransomware attack [107013].
(b) omission: The incident did not involve omission as the voting process for citizens was not impacted due to the network issues caused by the ransomware attack [107013].
(c) timing: The incident did not involve timing issues as there was no mention of the system performing its intended functions too late or too early [107013].
(d) value: The software failure incident did not involve the system performing its intended functions incorrectly [107013].
(e) byzantine: The incident did not involve the system behaving erroneously with inconsistent responses and interactions [107013].
(f) other: The software failure incident in Hall County, Georgia, was primarily a ransomware attack that locked up the victim's computer and disrupted various county functions, including phone and email services. The attackers were financial criminals driven by profit, and the incident did not seem to have a political motive [107013]. |