| Recurring |
multiple_organization |
(a) The software failure incident having happened again at one_organization:
The article does not mention any previous incidents of a similar nature happening within the same organization or with its products and services. Therefore, there is no information available to suggest that a similar incident has occurred before at the organization mentioned in the article [108576].
(b) The software failure incident having happened again at multiple_organization:
The article mentions that the UK had previously warned about Russian intelligence targeting UK vaccine research, including at Oxford, and the US had warned about Chinese hacking targeting vaccine research. Additionally, Microsoft reported seeing North Korean and Russian hackers targeting vaccine research. This indicates that similar incidents of cyber-espionage targeting vaccine research have occurred at multiple organizations or countries [108576]. |
| Phase (Design/Operation) |
design, operation |
(a) The software failure incident related to the design phase can be seen in the article where hackers targeted the Covid vaccine supply cold chain by sending phishing emails containing malicious code. The attackers impersonated a business executive from a legitimate Chinese company involved in the Cold Chain Equipment Optimisation Platform (CCEOP) to make it more likely for the targets to engage with the email. This indicates a failure due to contributing factors introduced by the system development and the procedures to operate the system [108576].
(b) The software failure incident related to the operation phase is evident in the article where phishing emails were sent to organisations involved in transportation, containing malicious code and asking for people's log-in credentials. If successful, this operation could have allowed the attackers to understand the infrastructure that governments intended to use to distribute vaccines. This failure is due to contributing factors introduced by the operation or misuse of the system [108576]. |
| Boundary (Internal/External) |
within_system |
(a) within_system: The software failure incident reported in the article is primarily due to factors originating from within the system. The incident involved a cyber-espionage campaign targeting the international vaccine supply chain's "cold chain" used to keep vaccines at the right temperature during transportation [108576]. The attackers utilized phishing emails containing malicious code to target organizations linked to the Cold Chain Equipment Optimisation Platform (CCEOP) of Gavi, a key player in vaccine distribution. This indicates that the failure was initiated and executed through actions taken within the system itself. |
| Nature (Human/Non-human) |
non-human_actions |
(a) The software failure incident occurring due to non-human actions:
The software failure incident reported in the article is related to a cyber-espionage campaign targeting the international vaccine supply chain's "cold chain" used to keep vaccines at the right temperature during transportation. The attackers impersonated a business executive from a legitimate Chinese company involved in the Cold Chain Equipment Optimisation Platform (CCEOP) to send phishing emails containing malicious code to organisations linked to vaccine distribution. This incident was driven by non-human actions, specifically the use of phishing emails and malicious code to compromise the vaccine supply chain [108576].
(b) The software failure incident occurring due to human actions:
The article does not specifically mention any software failure incident caused by contributing factors introduced by human actions. Therefore, information regarding a software failure incident resulting from human actions is unknown based on the provided article. |
| Dimension (Hardware/Software) |
software |
(a) The software failure incident occurring due to hardware:
- The software failure incident reported in the article is not directly attributed to hardware issues. Instead, it is related to cyber-espionage targeting the vaccine supply chain's "cold chain" used for transportation [108576].
(b) The software failure incident occurring due to software:
- The software failure incident reported in the article is a result of sophisticated cyber-espionage tactics involving phishing emails containing malicious code targeting organisations involved in the vaccine supply chain. This incident originated from software-related factors such as the use of phishing emails and malicious code to compromise systems [108576]. |
| Objective (Malicious/Non-malicious) |
malicious |
(a) The software failure incident reported in the article is malicious in nature. Hackers targeted the Covid vaccine supply 'cold chain' through a cyber-espionage campaign aimed at the delivery system used to keep vaccines at the right temperature during transportation. The attackers impersonated a business executive from a legitimate Chinese company involved in the supply chain to send phishing emails containing malicious code to organisations involved in transportation, with the intent to gather intelligence on the infrastructure used to distribute vaccines [108576]. |
| Intent (Poor/Accidental Decisions) |
poor_decisions |
The intent of the software failure incident reported in the article is related to **(a) poor_decisions**. The incident involved a cyber-espionage campaign targeting the international vaccine supply chain's "cold chain" used to keep vaccines at the right temperature during transportation. The attackers impersonated a business executive from a legitimate Chinese company involved in the supply cold chain to make it more likely for the targets to engage with the phishing emails containing malicious code. This indicates a deliberate and calculated effort by the attackers to exploit vulnerabilities in the system through deceptive means [108576]. |
| Capability (Incompetence/Accidental) |
accidental |
(a) The software failure incident related to development incompetence is not explicitly mentioned in the provided article [108576].
(b) The software failure incident related to accidental factors is evident in the article as hackers targeted the Covid vaccine supply cold chain through a sophisticated cyber-espionage campaign. The attackers impersonated a business executive from a legitimate Chinese company involved in the supply cold chain to make it more likely for the targets to engage with the phishing emails containing malicious code. This accidental engagement with the malicious emails led to potential access to sensitive information about the vaccine distribution infrastructure [108576]. |
| Duration |
unknown |
The articles do not provide information about the duration of the software failure incident related to the cyber-espionage targeting the Covid vaccine supply 'cold chain'. Therefore, it is unknown whether the software failure incident was permanent or temporary. |
| Behaviour |
value, other |
(a) crash: The software failure incident in the article is not described as a crash where the system loses state and does not perform any of its intended functions [108576].
(b) omission: The software failure incident does not involve the system omitting to perform its intended functions at an instance(s) [108576].
(c) timing: The software failure incident is not related to the system performing its intended functions correctly but too late or too early [108576].
(d) value: The software failure incident is related to the system performing its intended functions incorrectly, as the attackers sent phishing emails containing malicious code and asked for people's log-in credentials, potentially compromising the infrastructure intended for vaccine distribution [108576].
(e) byzantine: The software failure incident does not involve the system behaving erroneously with inconsistent responses and interactions [108576].
(f) other: The software failure incident involves the system being used in a sophisticated manner by attackers impersonating a legitimate Chinese company executive to target organisations involved in the vaccine supply chain, indicating a high level of precision targeting and potential nation-state activity [108576]. |