| Recurring |
one_organization, multiple_organization |
(a) The software failure incident related to the Pegasus spyware compromising iPhones has happened again at Apple. The incident involved the spyware being deployed on various iPhone models running different versions of iOS, including the iPhone 12, iPhone XR, iPhone X, iPhone SE2, and iPhone 11 [116452].
(b) The incident has also occurred at multiple organizations, as the Pegasus spyware was found on iPhones belonging to journalists, activists, and individuals associated with media organizations worldwide. The spyware was reportedly used to track journalists, activists, politicians, heads of state, diplomats, and business executives [116452]. |
| Phase (Design/Operation) |
design, operation |
(a) The software failure incident related to the design phase can be seen in the case of the Pegasus spyware attacks on iPhones. The malware was able to bypass Apple's security defenses and compromise iPhones running on the latest iOS versions, including iPhone 12 models with iOS 14.6 [116452].
(b) The software failure incident related to the operation phase is evident in how the Pegasus spyware was deployed through iMessage against Apple's latest version of iOS, indicating a failure in the operation or misuse of the system [116452]. |
| Boundary (Internal/External) |
within_system, outside_system |
(a) within_system: The software failure incident related to the Pegasus spyware attacks on iPhones, including the iPhone 12 models running iOS 14.6, was primarily due to contributing factors that originated from within the system. The spyware was able to infiltrate iPhones without any user interaction, indicating vulnerabilities within the iOS operating system that allowed for such attacks [116452]. Additionally, the BlastDoor feature developed by Apple to enhance iMessage security was mentioned as a measure taken within the system to mitigate such attacks [116452].
(b) outside_system: The software failure incident involving the Pegasus spyware attacks on iPhones can also be attributed to contributing factors that originated from outside the system. The spyware itself, developed by the Israeli company NSO Group, was deployed by authoritarian regimes to target journalists, activists, and other individuals, indicating external threats exploiting vulnerabilities within the system [116452]. The attacks were part of a larger surveillance operation conducted by various countries, highlighting the external nature of the threat [116452]. |
| Nature (Human/Non-human) |
non-human_actions, human_actions |
(a) The software failure incident occurring due to non-human actions:
The software failure incident in the articles is related to the deployment of the Pegasus spyware, specifically through zero-click attacks on iPhones. These attacks do not require any interaction from the victim, indicating a failure caused by contributing factors introduced without human participation [116452].
(b) The software failure incident occurring due to human actions:
The incident also involves human actions as the Pegasus spyware, developed by the Israeli company NSO, was used by authoritarian regimes to compromise iPhones of journalists and activists. The spyware was deployed to track individuals, indicating a failure caused by contributing factors introduced by human actions [116452]. |
| Dimension (Hardware/Software) |
software |
(a) The software failure incident occurring due to hardware:
- The software failure incident reported in the articles is not directly attributed to hardware issues. Instead, the incident involves the deployment of spyware called Pegasus, developed by the Israeli company NSO, which targets iPhones running on iOS [116452].
(b) The software failure incident occurring due to software:
- The software failure incident reported in the articles is primarily attributed to software issues. Specifically, the incident involves the exploitation of vulnerabilities in Apple's iOS operating system, allowing the Pegasus spyware to be deployed on iPhones without any user interaction [116452]. |
| Objective (Malicious/Non-malicious) |
malicious |
(a) The software failure incident in the articles is malicious in nature. The failure was caused by the deployment of the Pegasus spyware, developed by the Israeli company NSO, which was used by authoritarian regimes to compromise iPhones of journalists, activists, and other individuals without their knowledge or consent [116452]. The spyware allowed hackers to gain full access to the compromised devices, including monitoring calls, accessing camera and microphone, and tracking location data. The incident involved sophisticated attacks that were specifically targeted at individuals, indicating a malicious intent to infiltrate and monitor their devices. |
| Intent (Poor/Accidental Decisions) |
poor_decisions, accidental_decisions |
(a) In the software failure incident related to the Pegasus spyware attacks on iPhones, the intent behind the incident can be categorized under poor_decisions. This is because the spyware was developed by the Israeli company NSO Group and was reportedly being used by authoritarian regimes to track journalists, activists, and other individuals. Despite NSO Group claiming that their technologies are used for noble purposes like combating crime and saving lives, the misuse of the spyware for surveillance purposes highlights the ethical implications and poor decisions involved in creating such powerful surveillance tools [116452].
(b) Additionally, the incident can also be linked to accidental_decisions as the spyware was found to be able to infiltrate iPhones through zero-click attacks, which do not require any interaction from the victim. This unintended consequence of the spyware's capabilities to bypass Apple's security systems and compromise iPhones without the users' knowledge or consent can be seen as an accidental outcome of the development and deployment of such sophisticated surveillance technology [116452]. |
| Capability (Incompetence/Accidental) |
accidental |
(a) The articles do not provide information about the software failure incident occurring due to development incompetence.
(b) The software failure incident related to the Pegasus spyware attacks on iPhones, as reported in the news articles, can be categorized as accidental. The incident involved the deployment of sophisticated spyware, such as Pegasus, by authoritarian regimes on iPhones, exploiting vulnerabilities in Apple's iOS. These attacks were carried out without any interaction from the victims, utilizing zero-click methods to compromise the devices [116452]. The victims, including journalists, activists, and individuals like Claude Mangin, were targeted without their knowledge or consent, highlighting the accidental nature of the software failure incident. |
| Duration |
temporary |
The software failure incident related to the Pegasus spyware attacks on iPhones can be considered as a temporary failure. This is because the incident was caused by specific circumstances, such as the exploitation of vulnerabilities in Apple's iOS operating system by the Pegasus spyware developed by NSO Group. The attacks were targeted and required sophisticated techniques to compromise the iPhones, indicating a specific and deliberate effort to breach the security defenses of the devices [116452]. Additionally, Apple has been working on enhancing security measures like BlastDoor in iMessage to mitigate such attacks, showing ongoing efforts to address the vulnerabilities exploited by the spyware [116452]. |
| Behaviour |
crash, omission, value, other |
(a) crash: The software failure incident related to the Pegasus spyware attacks on iPhones can be categorized as a crash. The spyware was able to compromise iPhones, including the latest models like iPhone 12, by deploying zero-click attacks through iMessage, bypassing Apple's security systems and gaining access to sensitive data on the devices [116452].
(b) omission: The software failure incident can also be categorized as an omission. The spyware attack by Pegasus resulted in the system omitting to perform its intended functions of protecting user data and privacy on iPhones. The attack allowed unauthorized access to various aspects of the compromised devices, including location data, messages, contact lists, and more [116452].
(c) timing: The software failure incident does not align with the timing category as the system was not performing its intended functions too late or too early. The attack was successful in compromising the iPhones without any delay in execution [116452].
(d) value: The software failure incident can be categorized under the value option. The system failed to perform its intended functions correctly as it allowed the Pegasus spyware to infiltrate iPhones and gain unauthorized access to sensitive user data, violating the core purpose of the device's security features [116452].
(e) byzantine: The software failure incident does not align with the byzantine category as there were no mentions of inconsistent responses or interactions by the system in the context of the Pegasus spyware attacks on iPhones [116452].
(f) other: The software failure incident can be further described as a sophisticated and targeted attack that bypassed the security measures of the iPhone devices, leading to a breach of user privacy and security. The attack involved the deployment of zero-click exploits through iMessage, allowing the spyware to gain full access to the compromised devices and monitor various aspects of the users' activities [116452]. |