| Recurring |
one_organization, multiple_organization |
(a) The software failure incident having happened again at one_organization:
The article reports that Pates Grammar School in Gloucestershire was targeted by a hacking group called Vice Society, resulting in the leak of highly confidential documents. The incident at Pates Grammar School involved a hack where sensitive information such as children's SEN information, passport scans, staff pay scales, and contract details were stolen [Article 123035].
(b) The software failure incident having happened again at multiple_organization:
The Vice Society hacking group has been behind a series of attacks on schools across the UK and the USA. The article mentions other schools that were targeted by Vice Society, including Carmel College, Durham Johnston Comprehensive School, Frances King School of English, Gateway College, Holy Family RC + CE College, Lampton School, Mossbourne Federation, Pilton Community College, Samuel Ryder Academy, School of Oriental and African Studies, St Paul's Catholic College, Test Valley School, and The De Montfort School. These schools also experienced similar incidents of data breaches and leaks due to hacking activities [Article 123035]. |
| Phase (Design/Operation) |
design, operation |
(a) The software failure incident related to the design phase can be seen in the article where it mentions that highly confidential documents from 14 schools were leaked online by hackers due to a hack targeting schools, including Pates Grammar School. The hackers were able to access sensitive information such as children's SEN information, passport scans, staff pay scales, and contract details, indicating a failure in the design or security measures of the systems [Article 123035].
(b) The software failure incident related to the operation phase is evident in the article when it describes how Pates Grammar School's IT systems and phone lines were down after the hack, affecting the operation of the school. The headteacher mentioned that the systems were accessed by an unauthorized third party, impacting teaching materials that relied on Microsoft Teams. This operational failure led to disruptions in the school's functioning and required notifications to the Information Commissioner's Office (ICO) and the police for investigation [Article 123035]. |
| Boundary (Internal/External) |
within_system, outside_system |
(a) within_system: The software failure incident at Pates Grammar School, along with several other schools, was due to a hack by a group called Vice Society. The hackers were able to access and steal highly confidential documents from the schools' systems, including sensitive information such as children's SEN information, passport scans, staff pay scales, and contract details. The incident involved unauthorized access to the school's IT systems and the theft of data, leading to a breach of security protocols and the compromise of sensitive information [Article 123035].
(b) outside_system: The software failure incident was also influenced by factors originating from outside the system, specifically the actions of the hackers from Vice Society who targeted the schools. The hackers demanded money in exchange for not leaking the stolen documents on the dark web, indicating an external threat to the schools' systems and data security. Additionally, the FBI in America released an alert on Vice Society's activities, highlighting the external nature of the threat posed by this hacking group [Article 123035]. |
| 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 this case was primarily due to a cyber attack carried out by a hacking group called Vice Society [Article 123035].
- The hackers targeted multiple schools, including Pates Grammar School, and stole highly confidential documents such as children's SEN information, passport scans, staff pay scales, and contract details [Article 123035].
- The hackers demanded money from the schools to prevent leaking the stolen documents on the dark web [Article 123035].
- The incident involved the theft of data by unauthorized third parties, leading to a breach of sensitive information [Article 123035].
(b) The software failure incident occurring due to human actions:
- Human actions also played a role in this software failure incident, as the schools affected had to take measures to respond to the breach and mitigate its impact [Article 123035].
- Schools like Lampton School and Frances King School of English had to address the breach by informing stakeholders and implementing security measures like two-factor authentication and password resets [Article 123035].
- The incident prompted schools to work with cyber-security specialists and forensic investigators to assess the data breach, secure systems, and resolve the issue [Article 123035].
- The involvement of human actors in responding to the cyber attack and managing the aftermath highlights the importance of human actions in addressing software failure incidents caused by non-human actions. |
| Dimension (Hardware/Software) |
hardware, software |
(a) The software failure incident occurring due to hardware:
- The incident at Pates Grammar School involved a hack by a group called Vice Society, resulting in the theft of highly confidential documents from the school's systems [Article 123035].
- The hack at Pates Grammar School led to the school's IT systems and phone lines being down, indicating a disruption in hardware functionality [Article 123035].
(b) The software failure incident occurring due to software:
- The hack at Pates Grammar School resulted in unauthorized access to the school's systems by an unauthorised third party, affecting teaching materials that relied on Microsoft Teams [Article 123035].
- The incident involved the theft and leaking of documents, indicating a software failure in terms of security vulnerabilities that allowed hackers to access and exfiltrate sensitive data [Article 123035]. |
| Objective (Malicious/Non-malicious) |
malicious |
(a) The objective of the software failure incident was malicious, as it was a result of a cyber attack by a hacking group called Vice Society. The hackers targeted multiple schools, including Pates Grammar School, and stole highly confidential documents such as children's SEN information, passport scans, staff pay scales, and contract details [Article 123035].
The hackers demanded money from the schools to prevent the leaked documents from being exposed on the dark web. This malicious act of hacking and stealing sensitive information demonstrates an intentional effort to harm the systems and organizations involved. The FBI in America has even issued an alert on the activities of the Vice Society, highlighting the severity of the cyber attacks [Article 123035]. |
| Intent (Poor/Accidental Decisions) |
poor_decisions |
(a) The intent of the software failure incident:
- The software failure incident involving the hack at Pates Grammar School and other schools was primarily driven by the intent of the hackers from Vice Society to steal sensitive data and demand money for its return or prevent its leakage [123035].
- The hackers targeted schools to obtain confidential documents such as children's SEN information, passport scans, staff pay scales, and contract details, indicating a deliberate intent to access and exploit sensitive information [123035].
- The hackers behind Vice Society have been actively targeting schools in the UK and the USA, indicating a pattern of deliberate attacks on educational institutions to obtain valuable data [123035]. |
| Capability (Incompetence/Accidental) |
development_incompetence, unknown |
(a) The software failure incident related to development incompetence is evident in the article as the hack on Pates Grammar School and other schools was carried out by a hacking group called Vice Society. The hackers were able to steal highly confidential documents, including children's SEN information, passport scans, staff pay scales, and contract details, indicating a significant breach of security [Article 123035].
(b) The accidental aspect of the software failure incident is not explicitly mentioned in the articles provided. |
| Duration |
permanent, temporary |
(a) The software failure incident in this case was temporary. The incident involved a cyber attack on multiple schools, including Pates Grammar School, where highly confidential documents were leaked by hackers. The hack at Pates Grammar School was estimated to have taken place on 28 September, with the school's IT systems and phone lines being down. The headteacher confirmed that the systems were accessed by an unauthorized third party, affecting teaching materials that relied on Microsoft Teams. The school notified the Information Commissioner's Office (ICO) and the police about the incident. It was later discovered that some data was taken by the criminal organization and placed on the dark web, which required technical knowledge to access [Article 123035].
(b) The software failure incident could also be considered permanent to some extent as the hackers leaked the information on the dark web, a section of the internet often used by criminals. The dark web is not indexed on regular search engines and requires specialist browsing software to access it, making the leaked information potentially permanently available to a limited audience with the technical knowledge and ability to access the specific site [Article 123035]. |
| Behaviour |
crash, omission, other |
(a) crash: The software failure incident in the articles can be categorized as a crash. The incident involved a hack on Pates Grammar School by a hacking group called Vice Society, resulting in the school's IT systems and phone lines going down [Article 123035]. The headteacher of Pates Grammar School confirmed that their systems were "accessed by an unauthorised third party," indicating a loss of control over the system's state [Article 123035].
(b) omission: The incident also involved an omission failure as the school's teaching materials, which relied on Microsoft Teams, were affected by the hack [Article 123035]. This omission of performing the intended function of providing teaching materials to the staff and students was a significant impact of the software failure incident.
(c) timing: There is no specific mention of a timing-related failure in the articles.
(d) value: The incident did not involve a value-related failure where the system performs its intended functions incorrectly.
(e) byzantine: The incident did not exhibit a byzantine behavior where the system behaves erroneously with inconsistent responses and interactions.
(f) other: The other behavior observed in this software failure incident is the unauthorized access and leakage of highly confidential documents, including children's SEN information, passport scans, staff pay scales, and contract details [Article 123035]. This unauthorized access and data leakage are critical aspects of the incident that go beyond the typical crash or omission failures. |