Published Date: 2021-04-05
| Postmortem Analysis | |
|---|---|
| Timeline | 1. The software failure incident involving the data leak of Facebook users' information occurred in 2019 as mentioned in [Article 113368], [Article 113399], and [Article 113363]. 2. Estimation: - Step 1: The incident was reported to have happened in 2019. - Step 2: Article [113368] was published on 2021-04-05, Article [113399] on 2021-04-07, and Article [113363] on 2021-04-06. - Step 3: Based on the information provided in the articles and the publication dates, the software failure incident occurred in 2019. |
| System | 1. Facebook's system vulnerability identified in 2019 [113399] 2. Facebook's feature for importing contacts from a user's phone [113399] 3. Have I Been Pwned website for checking breach status [113368, 113399, 113363] |
| Responsible Organization | 1. Malicious actors exploited a Facebook feature by using a method of scraping, leading to the data leak affecting over 530 million users [Article 113399]. 2. The breach of personal information from 533 million Facebook accounts was due to a vulnerability that Facebook had identified in 2019 [Article 113399]. 3. Facebook acknowledged the data leak and stated that the specific issue that allowed the data scraping in 2019 no longer exists [Article 113399]. 4. The leaked data from millions of Facebook accounts was attributed to a technical flaw in the app's ability to import contacts from a user's phone [Article 113399]. 5. The breach of personal information from 533 million Facebook accounts was a result of an old breach that occurred in 2019 [Article 113363]. |
| Impacted Organization | 1. Facebook users - The software failure incident impacted millions of Facebook users whose personal information, including names, phone numbers, and email addresses, was leaked due to a vulnerability in Facebook's system [113368, 113399, 113363]. |
| Software Causes | 1. The software cause of the failure incident was a vulnerability in Facebook's feature that allowed malicious actors to exploit a method of scraping unsecured public data, leading to the leak of personal information of millions of users [113399]. 2. The data breach incident was attributed to a technical flaw in Facebook's app's ability to import contacts from a user's phone, which was identified and fixed in 2019 [113399]. 3. The leaked data included names, birth dates, phone numbers, Facebook IDs, locations, account creation dates, birthdays, relationship statuses, bios, and email addresses, indicating a significant breach of user data security [113363]. |
| Non-software Causes | 1. Lack of proper data security measures by Facebook, leading to a vulnerability that was exploited by malicious actors [113399]. 2. Inadequate response and notification process by Facebook to affected users after the data leak incident [113399]. 3. Potential misuse of personal data by hackers and scammers due to the availability of leaked information [113363]. |
| Impacts | 1. Personal information of millions of Facebook users, including names, phone numbers, birthdays, and locations, was leaked due to a vulnerability in Facebook's system [113368, 113399, 113363]. 2. The leaked data set contained information on 533 million users from 106 countries, potentially exposing them to identity theft and scams [113399]. 3. The breach included data from more than 32 million accounts in the United States, 11 million in the United Kingdom, and 6 million in India [113363]. 4. The leaked data could be used by bad actors for robocalls, text messages, social engineering attacks, and phishing attempts, potentially leading to an increase in scams and privacy violations [113363]. 5. The incident highlighted the importance of data security and the need for users to be cautious about sharing personal information online, as breaches have become common across various online services [113363]. |
| Preventions | 1. Regular security audits and vulnerability assessments could have helped prevent the software failure incident by identifying and addressing the vulnerability exploited by malicious actors [113399]. 2. Implementing robust data protection measures, such as encryption of sensitive user information, could have made it harder for hackers to access and misuse the data [113363]. 3. Timely response and action to fix identified issues, as demonstrated by Facebook in addressing the vulnerability in 2019, are crucial in preventing data breaches and software failures [113399]. 4. Providing prompt notifications to affected users and implementing measures to mitigate potential risks could have helped prevent further exploitation of the data leak [113399]. |
| Fixes | 1. Facebook fixed the vulnerability that allowed the data leak in 2019 [113399]. 2. Users can check if their accounts were affected by the breach using the breach-tracking website Have I Been Pwned [113399]. 3. Users should maintain good data hygiene practices such as using different passwords for each website, changing passwords frequently, and using two-factor authentication to protect their accounts [113363]. | References | 1. Facebook spokesperson Andy Stone [Article 113363] 2. Cyber intelligence firm Hudson Rock [Article 113363] 3. Business Insider [Article 113399] 4. Facebook product management director Mike Clark [Article 113399] |
| Category | Option | Rationale |
|---|---|---|
| Recurring | one_organization, multiple_organization | (a) The software failure incident having happened again at one_organization: - Facebook experienced a data leak incident affecting millions of users due to a vulnerability that was previously identified in 2019 [113399]. - The data breach incident involved personal information from 533 million Facebook accounts, including names, phone numbers, Facebook IDs, locations, account creation dates, birthdays, relationship statuses, bios, and email addresses [113363]. - Facebook confirmed that the data leak was a result of a technical flaw in the app's ability to import contacts from a user's phone, and the issue was addressed in August 2019 [113363]. (b) The software failure incident having happened again at multiple_organization: - The incident involving the data leak affecting millions of Facebook users is not unique to Facebook, as data breaches have become common for various online services [113363]. - The breach-tracking website Have I Been Pwned was mentioned as a tool for users to check if their email or phone number was potentially involved in the breach, indicating that such incidents are not limited to a single organization [113363]. |
| Phase (Design/Operation) | design, operation | (a) The software failure incident related to the design phase: - The incident of the Facebook data leak affecting over 530 million users was attributed to a vulnerability that Facebook had identified in 2019. Malicious actors exploited a Facebook feature through scraping, which is an automated process of netting unsecured public data [113399]. - Facebook mentioned that the technical flaw that led to the vulnerability was found in the app's ability to import contacts from a user's phone [113399]. (b) The software failure incident related to the operation phase: - The incident involved personal information from millions of Facebook accounts being leaked, including names, phone numbers, locations, and more. This data was reportedly posted on a website for hackers, potentially leading to an uptick in robocalls or text messages [113363]. - The leaked data could be used for social engineering attacks, such as phishing, where bad actors imitate legitimate entities to steal sensitive information [113363]. |
| Boundary (Internal/External) | within_system | (a) within_system: The software failure incident related to the Facebook data leak affecting over 530 million users was attributed to a vulnerability that Facebook had identified in 2019. Malicious actors exploited a Facebook feature through scraping, an automated process of gathering unsecured public data [113399]. Facebook mentioned that the specific issue allowing the data scraping in 2019 no longer exists due to actions taken by the company [113399]. The breach included personal information such as names, birth dates, phone numbers, Facebook IDs, locations, account creation dates, birthdays, relationship statuses, bios, and email addresses [113363]. The technical flaw that led to the vulnerability was related to the app's ability to import contacts from a user's phone [113399]. (b) outside_system: The data leak incident was caused by malicious actors exploiting a vulnerability within Facebook's system, indicating that the contributing factors originated from within the system itself [113399]. |
| Nature (Human/Non-human) | non-human_actions, human_actions | (a) The software failure incident occurring due to non-human actions: - The software failure incident related to the Facebook data leak affecting over 530 million users was attributed to a vulnerability that Facebook identified in 2019. Malicious actors exploited a Facebook feature through scraping, an automated process of netting unsecured public data [Article 113399]. - The data breach involving personal information from 533 million Facebook accounts, including names, phone numbers, and other details, was due to a previously reported breach that occurred in 2019. Facebook mentioned that the issue was found and fixed in August 2019 [Article 113363]. (b) The software failure incident occurring due to human actions: - The incident of the Facebook data leak was a result of malicious actors exploiting a vulnerability in a Facebook feature through scraping, indicating human actions leading to the software failure [Article 113399]. - The breach of personal information from millions of Facebook accounts was due to a vulnerability that was identified and fixed by Facebook in 2019, suggesting that the initial flaw was introduced by human actions [Article 113363]. |
| Dimension (Hardware/Software) | software | (a) The software failure incident occurring due to hardware: - The software failure incident reported in the articles is not attributed to hardware issues. It is primarily related to a vulnerability in Facebook's software that allowed malicious actors to exploit a feature and scrape personal data of millions of users [113399]. (b) The software failure incident occurring due to software: - The software failure incident reported in the articles is attributed to a vulnerability in Facebook's software that was identified in 2019. Malicious actors exploited this software vulnerability to scrape personal information of over 530 million users [113399]. - The incident involved a data leak where personal information from millions of Facebook accounts was exposed, including names, phone numbers, Facebook IDs, locations, and more. This data breach was a result of a flaw in Facebook's app's ability to import contacts from users' phones [113363]. - Facebook acknowledged the breach and mentioned that the issue was fixed in 2019. However, the leaked data could still be valuable to hackers and scammers, highlighting a software failure incident [113363]. |
| Objective (Malicious/Non-malicious) | malicious, non-malicious | (a) The software failure incident related to the Facebook data leak can be categorized as malicious. The incident involved malicious actors exploiting a vulnerability in Facebook's feature by scraping data from over 530 million users [113399]. The leaked data included personal information such as names, phone numbers, Facebook IDs, locations, account creation dates, birthdays, relationship statuses, bios, and email addresses [113363]. This data breach was attributed to a vulnerability that Facebook had identified in 2019, and the data set was reportedly posted on a website for hackers [113399]. (b) The incident can also be considered non-malicious as Facebook stated that they had found and fixed the issue in August 2019 [113363]. The data breach was a result of a previously reported breach that occurred in 2019, indicating that the vulnerability was not newly introduced with malicious intent [113363]. Additionally, the incident highlighted the importance of data hygiene and taking steps to protect personal information online [113363]. |
| Intent (Poor/Accidental Decisions) | poor_decisions | (a) The software failure incident related to the Facebook data leak incident was primarily due to poor decisions made by Facebook. The incident involved a vulnerability that was identified in 2019 but was exploited by malicious actors, leading to the leak of personal information of millions of Facebook users [113368, 113399]. Despite knowing about the vulnerability, Facebook did not take sufficient action to prevent further exploitation of the feature, which ultimately resulted in the data leak. This highlights poor decisions made by Facebook in addressing and mitigating the vulnerability, ultimately leading to the software failure incident. |
| Capability (Incompetence/Accidental) | development_incompetence, unknown | (a) The software failure incident related to development incompetence is evident in the articles. The incident involving the data leak of over 530 million Facebook users' information was attributed to a vulnerability that Facebook had identified in 2019 [113399]. Despite fixing the issue in 2019, the data breach still occurred, indicating a failure in addressing the vulnerability effectively. This showcases a failure due to contributing factors introduced due to a lack of professional competence by the development organization. (b) The software failure incident related to accidental factors is not explicitly mentioned in the articles. |
| Duration | permanent | (a) The software failure incident in the articles is considered permanent. The incident involved a data leak on Facebook affecting millions of users due to a vulnerability that was identified in 2019 [113368, 113399, 113363]. Despite Facebook fixing the issue in 2019, the leaked data, including personal information like names, phone numbers, and email addresses, could still be valuable to hackers and cybercriminals. The data breach is described as a permanent failure as the leaked information is now in the public domain and could be exploited by bad actors even though the specific vulnerability that led to the leak was addressed by Facebook. |
| Behaviour | crash, omission, value, other | (a) crash: The software failure incident related to the Facebook data leak can be categorized as a crash. The incident involved a vulnerability that allowed malicious actors to exploit a Facebook feature, resulting in the loss of personal information of millions of users [113399]. (b) omission: The incident can also be categorized as an omission. Facebook acknowledged that the data leak occurred due to a previously identified vulnerability in 2019, indicating an omission in the system's ability to prevent unauthorized access to user data [113399]. (c) timing: The incident does not align with a timing failure as the system did not perform its intended functions too late or too early. The focus of the incident was on the data leak itself rather than timing issues [113363]. (d) value: The incident can be categorized as a value failure. Despite Facebook fixing the issue in 2019, the leaked data, including names, phone numbers, and other personal information, could still be valuable to hackers and scammers for identity theft and other malicious activities [113368]. (e) byzantine: The incident does not align with a byzantine failure as there were no mentions of inconsistent responses or interactions from the system. The primary concern was the unauthorized access and leakage of user data [113363]. (f) other: The behavior of the software failure incident can also be described as a security breach. The incident involved a breach of personal information from millions of Facebook accounts, highlighting a significant security flaw in the system [113368, 113399, 113363]. |
| Layer | Option | Rationale |
|---|---|---|
| Perception | None | None |
| Communication | None | None |
| Application | None | None |
| Category | Option | Rationale |
|---|---|---|
| Consequence | property, theoretical_consequence | Property: The software failure incident related to the Facebook data leak resulted in personal information from millions of Facebook users being exposed, including names, phone numbers, Facebook IDs, locations, account creation dates, birthdays, relationship statuses, bios, and email addresses [113368, 113399, 113363]. This exposure of sensitive personal data could lead to potential misuse by hackers, scammers, and other bad actors, impacting people's data privacy and potentially causing financial harm or identity theft. |
| Domain | information, finance, other | (a) The failed system in the reported software failure incident was related to the production and distribution of information. The incident involved a massive data leak from Facebook, affecting over 530 million users and exposing personal information such as names, phone numbers, birthdays, and email addresses [113368, 113399, 113363]. (h) Additionally, the incident highlighted the importance of data security and privacy in the finance industry, as the leaked data could potentially be used for social engineering attacks, phishing, and other fraudulent activities targeting individuals' financial information [113363]. (m) The incident also has implications for other industries beyond those listed, as the leaked data could be exploited by bad actors for various purposes, including identity theft, scamming, and unauthorized access to individuals' accounts across different sectors [113363]. |
Article ID: 113368
Article ID: 113399
Article ID: 113363