| Recurring |
one_organization |
(a) The software failure incident having happened again at one_organization:
- SolarWinds, the company at the center of a highly sophisticated hack that became public during Mr. Biden’s presidential transition, announced that it had been hacked anew [116768].
(b) The software failure incident having happened again at multiple_organization:
- There is no specific mention in the provided article about a similar incident happening again at multiple organizations. |
| Phase (Design/Operation) |
design, operation |
(a) The software failure incident related to the design phase can be seen in the article where it mentions the ransomware group REvil suddenly going offline. There are theories that suggest President Biden may have ordered the United States Cyber Command to bring down the group's sites, which could be considered a design-related failure introduced by system development or updates [116768].
(b) The software failure incident related to the operation phase is evident in the same article where it discusses how some of the victims of the ransomware attacks were left in a lurch, unable to pay the ransom to get their data back and resume their business operations. This failure is attributed to the operation or misuse of the system by the victims who were negotiating with the extortionists [116768]. |
| Boundary (Internal/External) |
within_system, outside_system |
(a) within_system: The software failure incident involving the REvil ransomware group going offline is speculated to have occurred due to actions taken either by the United States Cyber Command or by the ransomware group itself under pressure. There are theories suggesting that the group may have decided to take down its sites to avoid being caught in the crossfire between the American and Russian presidents, indicating internal factors within the system leading to the failure [116768].
(b) outside_system: The software failure incident involving the REvil ransomware group going offline is also linked to external factors originating from outside the system. President Biden's demand for President Putin to shut down ransomware groups attacking American targets, the ultimatum given to Russia, and the potential involvement of Russia in the situation all point to external influences contributing to the failure incident [116768]. |
| Nature (Human/Non-human) |
non-human_actions, human_actions |
(a) The software failure incident related to non-human actions:
The software failure incident involving the REvil ransomware group going offline was speculated to have occurred due to various non-human actions. One theory suggested that the United States Cyber Command, possibly working with domestic law enforcement agencies, took down the group's sites [116768]. Another theory proposed was that the group itself decided to go offline to avoid being caught in the crossfire between the American and Russian presidents [116768].
(b) The software failure incident related to human actions:
The software failure incident involving the REvil ransomware group going offline was also linked to potential human actions. One theory suggested that Russian President Putin may have ordered the group's sites to be taken down as a gesture towards heeding President Biden's warning [116768]. Additionally, the possibility of the group deciding to go offline voluntarily due to the intense pressure from the American and Russian presidents also implies a human action aspect in the incident [116768]. |
| Dimension (Hardware/Software) |
software |
(a) The articles do not provide information about a software failure incident occurring due to contributing factors originating in hardware [116768].
(b) The software failure incident reported in the articles is related to a ransomware group called REvil, which suddenly went offline. This incident is attributed to factors originating in software, specifically the actions taken against the ransomware group by either the United States Cyber Command or potentially by Russian authorities [116768]. |
| Objective (Malicious/Non-malicious) |
malicious |
(a) The software failure incident discussed in the articles is malicious in nature. The failure was caused by a ransomware group called REvil, which engaged in cyber extortion schemes, hacking into systems, locking up data, and demanding ransom payments [116768]. The incident involved attacks on American targets, including one of America's largest beef producers, JBS, and affected thousands of businesses globally. The group was known for reaping huge ransoms, such as $11 million from JBS, and was considered a critical national security threat by President Biden. The sudden disappearance of the group's online presence, including their sites on the dark web, was speculated to be a result of actions taken by either the United States Cyber Command or potentially even ordered by President Putin of Russia [116768]. The incident highlights the malicious intent behind the software failure, aimed at causing financial harm and disruption to businesses and organizations. |
| Intent (Poor/Accidental Decisions) |
poor_decisions |
(a) The intent of the software failure incident related to poor_decisions:
- The incident involving the ransomware group REvil going offline was potentially due to poor decisions made by the group itself or external pressures. There were theories that the group may have decided to take down their sites themselves to avoid getting caught in the crossfire between the American and Russian presidents [116768].
- The potential involvement of poor decisions is also highlighted by the fact that the ransomware group DarkSide, after the Colonial Pipeline attack, decided to go out of business, which experts believed was merely digital theater, indicating a potential pattern of ransomware groups making decisions that may not be genuine [116768]. |
| Capability (Incompetence/Accidental) |
accidental |
(a) The software failure incident related to development incompetence is not explicitly mentioned in the provided articles. Therefore, there is no specific information available to indicate that the failure 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 articles. The sudden disappearance of the REvil group's sites on the dark web, including their infrastructure for making payments and negotiation sites with victims, was unexpected and not explicitly attributed to a planned shutdown by the group itself. This unexpected disappearance could be considered a failure due to accidental factors [116768]. |
| Duration |
temporary |
The software failure incident discussed in the articles is temporary. The incident involved the sudden disappearance of the REvil ransomware group's online presence, including their websites on the dark web and infrastructure for making payments [116768]. This disappearance was not a permanent failure but rather a temporary disruption caused by specific circumstances, such as potential actions taken by the United States Cyber Command or by the ransomware group itself under pressure. |
| Behaviour |
other |
(a) crash: The software failure incident described in the articles does not involve a crash where the system loses state and does not perform any of its intended functions. The incident is more related to the sudden disappearance of a ransomware group's online presence rather than a system crash [116768].
(b) omission: The failure is not due to the system omitting to perform its intended functions at an instance(s). Instead, the failure is related to the sudden disappearance of the ransomware group's online presence and infrastructure, impacting victims negotiating ransom payments [116768].
(c) timing: The failure is not due to the system performing its intended functions correctly but too late or too early. The incident is more about the unexpected disappearance of the ransomware group's sites on the dark web, affecting ongoing negotiations and ransom payments [116768].
(d) value: The failure is not due to the system performing its intended functions incorrectly. The incident does not involve the software behaving in a way that results in incorrect outcomes [116768].
(e) byzantine: The failure is not due to the system behaving erroneously with inconsistent responses and interactions. The incident does not involve the software exhibiting inconsistent behavior or responses [116768].
(f) other: The behavior of the software failure incident can be categorized as a sudden disappearance of the ransomware group's online presence and infrastructure, impacting victims' ability to negotiate ransom payments and access their data. This behavior does not fit into the specific categories of crash, omission, timing, value, or byzantine behavior [116768]. |