| Recurring |
one_organization, multiple_organization |
(a) The software failure incident having happened again at one_organization:
- The University of Northampton was hit by a cyber-attack that disrupted its IT and telephone systems [112470].
- Queen's University in Belfast had to suspend access to several systems following an attempted cyber-attack earlier this month [112470].
(b) The software failure incident having happened again at multiple_organization:
- The National Cyber Security Centre warned universities and colleges about a rise in cyber-attacks affecting education establishments, indicating that multiple organizations in the education sector have been targeted [112470]. |
| Phase (Design/Operation) |
design |
(a) The software failure incident at the University of Northampton was related to the design phase. The cyber-attack disrupted the university's IT and telephone systems, servers, and intranet, impacting services and access to course material for students [112470]. The attack was severe enough to cause delays in assignment deadlines and push back lectures, indicating a significant disruption caused by the attack on the system design.
(b) The articles do not provide specific information indicating that the software failure incident was related to the operation phase. |
| Boundary (Internal/External) |
within_system |
(a) within_system: The software failure incident at the University of Northampton, caused by a cyber-attack, disrupted its phone and IT systems, intranet, and online services [112470]. The attack originated from within the system, affecting the university's internal IT infrastructure and services. The university involved IT forensics investigators to determine the cause and restore the affected systems. Students faced challenges accessing course material, tutor feedback, and online resources due to the internal system disruption. The incident highlights the vulnerability of the university's internal systems to cyber-attacks. |
| Nature (Human/Non-human) |
non-human_actions |
(a) The software failure incident at the University of Northampton was due to non-human actions, specifically a cyber-attack [112470]. The attack disrupted the university's phone and IT systems, leading to interruptions in services to IT and telephone systems and servers. The incident was severe enough to impact students' access to course material, tutor feedback, and online library resources, causing significant disruptions to their academic activities. The university involved IT forensics investigators to determine the cause and restore services as quickly as possible. Additionally, the National Cyber Security Centre warned about a rise in cyber-attacks affecting education establishments, indicating a broader trend of non-human actions causing software failures in the education sector. |
| Dimension (Hardware/Software) |
software |
(a) The software failure incident at the University of Northampton was not attributed to hardware issues but rather to a cyber-attack, indicating that the contributing factors originated in software. The attack disrupted the university's phone and IT systems, as well as its servers, leading to interruptions in services [112470]. The incident involved ransomware, which is a type of malicious software that encrypts files and demands a ransom for their release, highlighting the software nature of the failure. Additionally, the university engaged IT forensics investigators to determine the cause and restore services, further emphasizing the software-related nature of the incident. |
| Objective (Malicious/Non-malicious) |
malicious |
(a) The software failure incident at the University of Northampton was malicious in nature, as it was caused by a cyber-attack [112470]. The attack disrupted the university's phone and IT systems, leading to interruptions in services to IT and telephone systems and servers. The attack was described as having "no regard to the disruption to teaching and learning" caused by such attacks, indicating malicious intent behind the incident. The university involved IT forensics investigators to determine the cause and was working with authorities like the Information Commissioner's Office and the police to address the cyber-attack. |
| Intent (Poor/Accidental Decisions) |
unknown |
(a) The intent of the software failure incident:
The cyber-attack on the University of Northampton was intentional and malicious, as indicated by the statement that those who carried out the attack had "no regard to the disruption to teaching and learning such attacks cause" [112470]. This suggests that the attack was not accidental but rather a deliberate act aimed at disrupting the university's IT and telephone systems. |
| Capability (Incompetence/Accidental) |
unknown |
(a) The software failure incident at the University of Northampton was not explicitly attributed to development incompetence in the articles. The incident was described as a cyber-attack that disrupted the university's IT and telephone systems, indicating an external malicious intrusion rather than an internal incompetence issue.
(b) The software failure incident at the University of Northampton was caused by a cyber-attack, which is an intentional act by external parties to disrupt the university's systems. The attack was described as impacting services to IT and telephone systems, servers, and intranet access for students, leading to disruptions in coursework and assignments [112470]. |
| Duration |
temporary |
The software failure incident at the University of Northampton, caused by a cyber-attack, can be considered temporary. The incident disrupted the university's phone and IT systems, interrupting services to its IT and telephone systems and servers [112470]. The university was working to resolve the issue as quickly as possible and had involved IT forensics investigators to advise on restoring services and determining the possible cause. The full facts of the situation had not yet been established at the time of reporting, indicating that the incident was temporary and actively being addressed. |
| Behaviour |
omission, value, other |
(a) crash: The software failure incident at the University of Northampton was due to a cyber-attack that disrupted its phone and IT systems, interrupting services to its IT and telephone systems and servers [112470].
(b) omission: The cyber-attack resulted in the loss of access to the university intranet, course material, tutor feedback, and the online library for students like Lucy Holmes and Richard Smyth, impacting their ability to complete assignments and access necessary resources [112470].
(c) timing: There is no specific mention of the software failure incident being related to timing issues in the articles.
(d) value: The cyber-attack led to the system performing its intended functions incorrectly, as it caused disruption to teaching and learning activities at the University of Northampton [112470].
(e) byzantine: There is no indication in the articles that the software failure incident exhibited byzantine behavior.
(f) other: The software failure incident also involved the involvement of IT forensics investigators to advise on restoring services and determining the possible cause of the attack, indicating a response to a security breach [112470]. |