| Recurring |
one_organization |
(a) The software failure incident having happened again at one_organization:
The article mentions that Richard Nelson, the Sydney software engineer who discovered the flaw in the Express Plus Medicare app, was also one of several in the tech community to point out significant flaws in the federal government’s $7m Covidsafe app. The Digital Transformation Agency revealed it will hand over total responsibility for the Covidsafe app to the Department of Health due to difficulties faced by contact tracers in using the app [118859].
(b) The software failure incident having happened again at multiple_organization:
There is no specific mention in the article about the same software failure incident happening at other organizations or with their products and services. |
| Phase (Design/Operation) |
design, operation |
(a) The software failure incident in the Express Plus Medicare app can be attributed to design-related factors. The flaw that allowed people to fake their Covid vaccination certificates was a result of a security flaw in the app that was exploited by a software engineer. The engineer discovered a way to provide fake vaccine information that looked identical to the real thing, indicating a design flaw in the system's security measures [118859].
(b) The software failure incident also involved operation-related factors. The flaw in the app allowed individuals to manipulate the system to generate fake vaccination certificates, highlighting a failure in the operation or use of the app. Additionally, the difficulty faced by the software engineer in contacting Services Australia to report the flaw and the lack of response from the agency could be considered operational challenges that contributed to the incident [118859]. |
| Boundary (Internal/External) |
within_system, outside_system |
(a) within_system: The software failure incident in the Express Plus Medicare app was due to a flaw within the system itself. The flaw allowed individuals to fake their Covid vaccination certificates by exploiting a security vulnerability in the app. The flaw was discovered by a Sydney software engineer, Richard Nelson, who demonstrated how he could manipulate the app to generate fake vaccination certificates that appeared legitimate. Despite attempts to inform Services Australia about the flaw, there was difficulty in contacting the department directly, and no response was received. The app's security flaw was acknowledged, but there was no indication of when it would be fixed [118859].
(b) outside_system: The software failure incident was also influenced by factors outside the system. For example, the failure to address the security flaw in the app and the lack of response from Services Australia despite being informed about the issue could be considered as external factors contributing to the incident. Additionally, the comparison made to the European Union's system with QR codes for vaccination verification suggests that external factors such as different approaches and standards in other regions could impact the handling of the software failure incident [118859]. |
| Nature (Human/Non-human) |
non-human_actions, human_actions |
(a) The software failure incident in the Express Plus Medicare app was due to non-human actions, specifically a flaw in the app's design that allowed individuals to fake their Covid vaccination certificates. This flaw enabled users to exploit a security vulnerability in the app, allowing them to generate fake vaccine information that appeared identical to the real certificates [118859].
(b) On the other hand, the response to the flaw in the app involved human actions. The software engineer, Richard Nelson, attempted to inform Services Australia about the flaw but found it difficult to contact the department directly. He also reported the issue to the Australian Signals Directorate. Additionally, Services Australia spokesperson Hank Jongen mentioned that the agency was continually evolving proof of vaccination certificates, including strengthening security measures, indicating human actions taken to address the software failure incident [118859]. |
| Dimension (Hardware/Software) |
software |
(a) The software failure incident related to hardware:
- The article does not mention any hardware-related contributing factors that led to the software failure incident. Therefore, it is unknown if the incident was caused by hardware issues [118859].
(b) The software failure incident related to software:
- The software failure incident in this case was due to a flaw in the Express Plus Medicare app that allowed individuals to fake their Covid vaccination certificates. The flaw in the software allowed for the creation of fake vaccine information that appeared identical to the real certificates, highlighting a software vulnerability [118859]. |
| Objective (Malicious/Non-malicious) |
malicious |
(a) The software failure incident in Article 118859 can be categorized as malicious. The flaw discovered in the Express Plus Medicare app allowed individuals to fake their Covid vaccination certificates, which could potentially be used for malicious purposes such as gaining entry to venues or events without actually being vaccinated. The software engineer who discovered the flaw demonstrated how he could exploit the security flaw to create fake certificates with false vaccine information, highlighting the potential harm that could be caused by this vulnerability [118859]. |
| Intent (Poor/Accidental Decisions) |
poor_decisions |
(a) The intent of the software failure incident related to poor_decisions:
- The software failure incident in the Express Plus Medicare app allowing people to fake Covid vaccination certificates was due to poor decisions in the design and implementation of the app's security features. The flaw in the app allowed individuals to exploit a security vulnerability and generate fake vaccination certificates easily, without proper verification mechanisms in place [118859].
(b) The intent of the software failure incident related to accidental_decisions:
- The software failure incident in the Express Plus Medicare app allowing people to fake Covid vaccination certificates was not explicitly mentioned as being caused by accidental decisions. However, the lack of proper security measures and the oversight in ensuring the authenticity of the vaccination certificates could be seen as unintended consequences of the app's design and implementation [118859]. |
| Capability (Incompetence/Accidental) |
development_incompetence, accidental |
(a) The software failure incident in the Express Plus Medicare app allowing people to fake Covid vaccination certificates can be attributed to development incompetence. The flaw was discovered by a Sydney software engineer, Richard Nelson, who was able to exploit a security flaw in the app and provide it with fake vaccine information that looked identical to the real thing. Despite Nelson's attempts to inform Services Australia about the flaw, he found it difficult to contact the department directly and did not receive a response. The incident highlights a lack of professional competence in ensuring the security and integrity of the app [118859].
(b) The accidental aspect of the software failure incident is evident in the unintended consequences of the flaw discovered in the Express Plus Medicare app. The flaw allowed individuals to fake Covid vaccination certificates, which was not the intended purpose of the app. Additionally, the fake certificate created as a joke using hydroxychloroquine and ivermectin was not meant to deceive but rather to demonstrate the vulnerability of the app. The accidental nature of the incident is further emphasized by the frustration expressed by Richard Nelson in trying to report the flaw and the subsequent unintended consequences of his actions [118859]. |
| Duration |
temporary |
(a) The software failure incident in the Express Plus Medicare app allowing people to fake Covid vaccination certificates can be considered as a temporary failure. This is because the flaw in the app that allowed individuals to create fake vaccination certificates was due to a specific security vulnerability that was exploited by a software engineer, Richard Nelson. The flaw was not a permanent issue inherent in the design of the app but rather a specific vulnerability that was identified and exploited [118859].
(b) On the other hand, the article also mentions that the Services Australia spokesperson Hank Jongen stated that they were continually evolving proof of vaccination certificates, including strengthening security measures. This indicates that efforts were being made to address the security flaw in the app and enhance its security features, suggesting that the software failure incident was not permanent but rather a temporary issue that could be rectified through updates and improvements [118859]. |
| Behaviour |
crash, omission, value, other |
(a) crash: The article mentions a flaw in the Express Plus Medicare app that allowed individuals to fake their Covid vaccination certificates. This flaw resulted in the app not performing its intended function of securely verifying and displaying accurate vaccination information. The app's failure to prevent fake certificates can be considered a form of a crash as it lost its intended state of ensuring the authenticity of vaccination certificates [118859].
(b) omission: The article highlights that the security flaw in the app allowed individuals to exploit it and provide fake vaccine information that appeared identical to the real certificates. This omission of verifying the authenticity of the vaccine information led to the system omitting its intended function of ensuring the accuracy and legitimacy of the displayed certificates [118859].
(c) timing: There is no specific mention of a timing-related failure in the articles provided.
(d) value: The software failure incident described in the articles involves the system performing its intended functions incorrectly. The flaw in the Express Plus Medicare app allowed individuals to input fake vaccine information, leading to the system displaying inaccurate and misleading vaccination certificates. This incorrect behavior can be categorized as a value-related failure [118859].
(e) byzantine: The articles do not mention any inconsistent responses or interactions exhibited by the software system.
(f) other: The other behavior observed in this software failure incident is a security vulnerability that allowed unauthorized individuals to manipulate and generate fake vaccination certificates within the app. This security flaw compromised the integrity and trustworthiness of the displayed vaccination information, posing a significant risk to the verification process [118859]. |