| Recurring |
one_organization |
(a) The software failure incident related to Peloton happened again at the same organization. In May, Peloton had released a security update to address a leak that exposed personal account information [115606]. This incident was followed by the recent discovery of a vulnerability by McAfee that allowed hackers to access the Peloton Bike+ screen and potentially spy on users [115606].
(b) There is no information in the provided article about the software failure incident happening at other organizations or with their products and services. |
| Phase (Design/Operation) |
design |
(a) The software failure incident related to the design phase is evident in the vulnerability discovered by cybersecurity company McAfee in Peloton's Bike+. The vulnerability allowed hackers to access the bike's screen, potentially spying on users using the microphone and camera. McAfee's Advanced Threat Research team found that hackers could remotely control the bike's screen and interfere with its operating system, installing malicious apps and stealing user information [115606].
(b) The software failure incident related to the operation phase is highlighted by the fact that the security risk affecting Peloton's Bike+ was due to the need for physical access to the screen using a USB drive containing malicious code. This means that the threat most likely affects the bike when used in public spaces like hotels or gyms, where hackers could discreetly control the screen and spy on users [115606]. |
| Boundary (Internal/External) |
within_system |
(a) within_system: The software failure incident related to the Peloton Bike+ being vulnerable to hackers accessing the bike screen and potentially spying on users through the microphone and camera was due to contributing factors originating from within the system. McAfee's report highlighted how hackers could discreetly control the stationary bike's screen remotely and interfere with its operating system, allowing them to install malicious apps and spy on users [115606]. Peloton released a mandatory software update to fix the issue, indicating that the vulnerability was within the system and required a patch to address it. |
| Nature (Human/Non-human) |
non-human_actions, human_actions |
(a) The software failure incident in the Peloton Bike+ was due to non-human actions, specifically a vulnerability that allowed hackers to access the bike's screen and potentially spy on users using its microphone and camera. The hackers needed physical access to the screen using a USB drive containing malicious code to exploit the vulnerability [115606].
(b) The software failure incident in the Peloton Bike+ was also influenced by human actions, as the cybersecurity company McAfee discovered the vulnerability and worked with Peloton to develop and issue a patch to fix the issue. Additionally, Peloton released a mandatory software update to address the security risk, highlighting the importance of users activating automatic software updates to stay protected against such attacks [115606]. |
| Dimension (Hardware/Software) |
hardware, software |
(a) The software failure incident related to hardware:
- The vulnerability discovered by cybersecurity company McAfee allowed hackers to access Peloton's bike screen by physically accessing it using a USB drive containing malicious code, indicating a hardware-related vulnerability [115606].
- The hacker could discreetly control the stationary bike's screen remotely and interfere with its operating system, suggesting a potential hardware manipulation [115606].
(b) The software failure incident related to software:
- McAfee discovered a vulnerability in Peloton's software that allowed hackers to access the bike screen and potentially spy on users, indicating a software-related security flaw [115606].
- Peloton released a mandatory software update to fix the issue, highlighting a software-related solution to address the security risk [115606]. |
| Objective (Malicious/Non-malicious) |
malicious |
(a) The software failure incident in this case is malicious. Hackers were able to exploit a vulnerability in Peloton's Bike+ touchscreen, allowing them to potentially spy on users through the microphone and camera, install malicious apps, and compromise personal data [115606]. The hackers could discreetly control the bike's screen remotely and interfere with its operating system, posing a significant security threat to users. The cybersecurity team highlighted the danger of personal data compromise and unauthorized surveillance of users during their workouts, indicating malicious intent behind the software failure incident. |
| Intent (Poor/Accidental Decisions) |
poor_decisions |
(a) The software failure incident related to the Peloton Bike+ security threat can be attributed to poor decisions made in the design and implementation of the touchscreen system. The vulnerability that allowed hackers to access the bike screen and potentially spy on users using the microphone and camera was a result of inadequate security measures and oversight in the development process. McAfee's report highlighted how a hacker could discreetly control the bike's screen remotely and interfere with its operating system, posing a significant risk to user privacy and data security [115606]. Additionally, the incident underscores the importance of thorough security assessments and testing during the software development lifecycle to prevent such vulnerabilities from being exploited by malicious actors. |
| Capability (Incompetence/Accidental) |
accidental |
(a) The software failure incident related to development incompetence is not explicitly mentioned in the provided article. Therefore, it is unknown if the incident was due to contributing factors introduced due to lack of professional competence by humans or the development organization.
(b) The software failure incident related to accidental factors is evident in the article. The vulnerability that allowed hackers to access Peloton's bike screen and potentially spy on riders using its microphone and camera was discovered by cybersecurity company McAfee. This incident was accidental in nature as it was not intentional on the part of Peloton but rather a flaw that was exploited by hackers [115606]. |
| Duration |
temporary |
The software failure incident reported in Article 115606 can be categorized as a temporary failure. The incident involved a vulnerability discovered by cybersecurity company McAfee that allowed hackers to access Peloton's bike screen and potentially spy on users using its microphone and camera. This vulnerability affected the Peloton Bike+ model used in public spaces, where the hacker needed physical access to the screen using a USB drive containing malicious code. Peloton released a mandatory software update earlier this month to fix the issue, indicating that the failure was temporary and could be addressed through a patch [115606]. |
| Behaviour |
omission, value, other |
(a) crash: The software failure incident in the article does not involve a crash where the system loses state and does not perform any of its intended functions. [115606]
(b) omission: The vulnerability discovered by McAfee allowed hackers to potentially spy on Peloton Bike+ users using its microphone and camera, indicating an omission in the system's intended functions to protect user privacy. [115606]
(c) timing: The software failure incident is not related to timing issues where the system performs its intended functions correctly but too late or too early. [115606]
(d) value: The vulnerability in the Peloton Bike+ software allowed hackers to interfere with the operating system, potentially installing malicious apps to steal users' login information, indicating a failure in performing its intended functions correctly. [115606]
(e) byzantine: The software failure incident does not exhibit behaviors of a byzantine failure where the system behaves erroneously with inconsistent responses and interactions. [115606]
(f) other: The software failure incident in the article involves a security threat where hackers could access the bike screen, control it remotely, and spy on users, leading to a breach of user privacy and potential data compromise. This behavior could be categorized as a security vulnerability or breach. [115606] |