| Recurring |
one_organization, multiple_organization |
(a) The software failure incident has happened again at one_organization:
The article mentions that it was not the first time Tesco's online accounts have been compromised. Almost exactly a year ago, customers complained about vouchers disappearing from their Clubcard accounts, raising the possibility of a hack into the company's system [24495].
(b) The software failure incident has happened again at multiple_organization:
The article highlights other security breaches that have occurred globally, such as the Snapchat security breach revealing usernames and phone numbers, and the theft of two million Facebook account details by the Pony Botnet [24495]. |
| Phase (Design/Operation) |
design, operation |
(a) The software failure incident in the Tesco Clubcards hack can be attributed to the design phase. The incident occurred due to leaked details from other sites' breaches, where hackers took advantage of users using the same password for multiple accounts, including Tesco.com. This design flaw in users' password management practices led to the compromise of over 2,000 Tesco online accounts [24495].
(b) The software failure incident can also be linked to the operation phase. The operation failure was evident in the misuse of passwords by users who utilized the same password for Tesco.com and other compromised sites. This misuse of passwords allowed hackers to gain unauthorized access to Tesco accounts, leading to the security breach and subsequent deactivation of affected accounts by Tesco [24495]. |
| Boundary (Internal/External) |
within_system |
(a) within_system: The software failure incident involving the hacking of Tesco Clubcards was primarily due to contributing factors that originated from within the system. The incident was not a direct hack of Tesco's system but rather a result of hackers using leaked details from other breaches to gain access to Tesco accounts where users had used the same passwords across multiple sites [24495]. This highlights the importance of using different passwords for each online account to prevent such within-system failures. |
| Nature (Human/Non-human) |
non-human_actions, human_actions |
(a) The software failure incident in this case was primarily due to non-human actions. Hackers were able to access and leak details of over 2,200 Tesco accounts by exploiting vulnerabilities in the system and using leaked information from other breaches [24495]. The incident was not a result of direct human error but rather a breach of security measures.
(b) However, human actions also played a role in this incident as users were found to have used the same password for multiple accounts, including their Tesco online accounts, which allowed hackers to successfully match and access these accounts [24495]. This highlights the importance of using unique passwords for different online accounts to prevent such security breaches. |
| Dimension (Hardware/Software) |
software |
(a) The software failure incident related to hardware:
- The incident reported in the articles does not indicate any direct hardware failure as the root cause of the issue. The compromised accounts and leaked details were a result of hackers gaining access to user information and exploiting vulnerabilities in the system. There is no mention of any hardware-related contributing factors in the articles [24495].
(b) The software failure incident related to software:
- The software failure incident in this case was primarily due to software-related factors. Hackers were able to access and leak details of over 2,000 Tesco online accounts by exploiting vulnerabilities in the system and using leaked information from other breaches. The incident involved unauthorized access to software systems, manipulation of user data, and security breaches within the software infrastructure [24495]. |
| Objective (Malicious/Non-malicious) |
malicious |
(a) The software failure incident in this case is malicious. Hackers obtained details from other breaches and used them to access Tesco accounts, leading to the leaking of e-mail addresses, passwords, and voucher balances of over 2,000 accounts [24495]. The incident involved unauthorized access and potential theft of customer data, indicating malicious intent to harm the system and compromise user accounts. |
| Intent (Poor/Accidental Decisions) |
accidental_decisions |
(a) poor_decisions: The software failure incident related to the Tesco Clubcards being hacked was not directly due to poor decisions made by Tesco in terms of their software security measures. The incident was a result of hackers obtaining leaked details from other sites' breaches and using the same passwords to access Tesco accounts [24495]. Tesco mentioned that they take the security of their customers' data extremely seriously and are urgently investigating the situation, indicating a proactive response to the incident.
(b) accidental_decisions: The software failure incident could be attributed to accidental decisions made by users who used the same password for multiple accounts, including their Tesco online accounts. This unintentional decision to reuse passwords across different platforms contributed to the vulnerability exploited by hackers [24495]. Additionally, the incident involving the theft of customer Clubcard points in the past also suggests a pattern of accidental decisions by users in terms of securing their accounts. |
| Capability (Incompetence/Accidental) |
development_incompetence |
(a) The software failure incident related to development incompetence is evident in the Tesco Clubcard hack incident. The breach occurred because hackers were able to access more than 2,000 user accounts by using leaked details from other sites' breaches where users had used the same password for multiple accounts, including Tesco.com [24495].
(b) The accidental aspect of the software failure incident is seen in the unintended exposure of e-mail addresses, passwords, and voucher balances of Tesco online accounts on a popular text-sharing website. This exposure was not a direct hack of Tesco's system but rather a result of leaked details being used to access accounts [24495]. |
| Duration |
temporary |
The software failure incident reported in the articles is more likely to be temporary rather than permanent. This is because the incident was caused by hackers who gained unauthorized access to Tesco's online accounts by using leaked details from other breaches, rather than a fundamental flaw in the software itself. Tesco took immediate action by shutting down the affected accounts, investigating the claims, and offering replacement vouchers to affected customers. Additionally, the incident prompted security experts to advise users to use different passwords for each online account, indicating that the failure was due to specific circumstances rather than a systemic issue with the software [24495]. |
| Behaviour |
crash, omission, value, other |
(a) crash: The software failure incident in the article can be categorized as a crash. The incident involved the hacking of more than 2,000 Tesco online accounts, leading to the system shutting down those accounts to prevent further unauthorized access. This can be seen as a failure of the system losing its intended state and not being able to perform its functions as expected [24495].
(b) omission: The incident can also be related to omission as the compromised system omitted to protect the e-mail addresses, passwords, and voucher balances of the users, resulting in a breach and subsequent shutdown of accounts [24495].
(c) timing: There is no specific mention of a timing-related failure in the articles.
(d) value: The software failure incident can be linked to a value failure as the compromised system allowed hackers to access and misuse the e-mail addresses, passwords, and voucher balances of the users, leading to potential financial losses and security risks [24495].
(e) byzantine: The incident does not exhibit characteristics of a byzantine failure.
(f) other: The behavior of the software failure incident can also be described as a security vulnerability. The incident highlighted a security flaw in the system that allowed hackers to exploit weak password practices and potentially compromise user accounts [24495]. |