Incident: Mazda Infotainment System Lock-In Due to Tech Bug.

Published Date: 2022-02-10

Postmortem Analysis
Timeline 1. The software failure incident with Mazda radios being locked in to NPR happened in the past week as per the Reddit post in the article [124608]. 2. Published on 2022-02-10 08:00:00+00:00. 3. Estimated timeline: The incident likely occurred in early February 2022.
System 1. Infotainment systems in 2014-17 Mazda vehicles in the Puget Sound area 2. Connectivity master unit in affected Mazda vehicles [124608]
Responsible Organization 1. The radio station in the Seattle area that sent image files with missing file extensions [124608] 2. Mazda North American Operations (MNAO) for not handling the issue with older software in 2014-17 Mazda vehicles [124608]
Impacted Organization 1. Mazda owners in the Puget Sound area [Article 124608] 2. National Public Radio network (KUOW) [Article 124608]
Software Causes 1. Missing file extensions in album images sent with the digital-radio broadcast triggered the glitch in some 2014-17 Mazda vehicles with older software [124608].
Non-software Causes 1. Missing file extensions in album images sent with the digital-radio broadcast triggered the glitch [Article 124608].
Impacts 1. Some Mazda drivers in Washington State were unable to retune their infotainment systems, being permanently locked into the NPR network, impacting their ability to change stations, use navigation, and Bluetooth [124608]. 2. The glitch caused the infotainment units to perpetually restart, affecting multiple customers and flooding local Mazda dealerships with calls [124608]. 3. The fix for the software failure incident required the replacement of a component, specifically the $1,500 connectivity master unit, leading to potential costs for affected customers [124608].
Preventions 1. Implementing robust input validation mechanisms to ensure that all files received, such as album images, have proper file extensions to prevent triggering glitches [124608]. 2. Conducting thorough software testing, including regression testing, to identify and address any potential issues related to software updates or changes in external inputs [124608]. 3. Providing timely software updates to address known issues and vulnerabilities, especially for older software versions that may be more susceptible to bugs or faults [124608].
Fixes 1. The software failure incident in Mazda vehicles locked into NPR due to missing file extensions in album images sent with digital-radio broadcast can be fixed by replacing the connectivity master unit, which costs $1,500 [124608].
References 1. KUOW radio station [Article 124608] 2. Mazda North American Operations (MNAO) [Article 124608]

Software Taxonomy of Faults

Category Option Rationale
Recurring one_organization (a) The software failure incident related to Mazda radios being locked in to NPR due to a tech bug has happened again within the same organization. The incident affected owners of 2014-17 Mazdas in the Puget Sound area, with their infotainment systems being permanently locked to the NPR network due to missing file extensions in album images sent with the digital-radio broadcast [124608]. Additionally, a Reddit user mentioned that their 2015 Mazda 3 infotainment unit was perpetually restarting and stuck on KUOW 94.9, indicating a recurrence of the issue within Mazda vehicles [124608].
Phase (Design/Operation) design (a) The software failure incident in the article was related to the design phase. The issue was triggered by missing file extensions in album images sent with the digital-radio broadcast, which caused the infotainment systems in certain Mazda vehicles to be permanently locked into the NPR network. This design flaw led to the glitch affecting 2014-17 Mazda vehicles with older software [124608]. (b) The software failure incident was not related to the operation phase or misuse of the system.
Boundary (Internal/External) within_system (a) The software failure incident in the article is within_system. The issue was triggered by missing file extensions in album images sent with the digital-radio broadcast, which caused the infotainment systems in certain Mazda vehicles to be permanently locked into the NPR network [124608]. The glitch originated from within the system itself, specifically related to how the software handled the image files without extensions.
Nature (Human/Non-human) non-human_actions (a) The software failure incident in this case was primarily due to non-human actions. The issue was triggered by missing file extensions in album images sent with the digital-radio broadcast, which caused the infotainment systems in certain Mazda vehicles to be permanently locked into the NPR network [124608]. This non-human factor introduced a glitch that affected the functionality of the infotainment systems, requiring a component replacement to fix the issue.
Dimension (Hardware/Software) hardware (a) The software failure incident in the article was primarily due to a hardware issue. The glitch that caused Mazda radios to be locked into NPR was triggered by missing file extensions in album images sent with the digital-radio broadcast, which affected the infotainment systems of 2014-17 Mazda vehicles in the Puget Sound area. Mazda mentioned that the fix for this issue requires the replacement of a component, specifically the $1,500 connectivity master unit, indicating a hardware-related solution [124608].
Objective (Malicious/Non-malicious) non-malicious (a) The software failure incident described in the article is non-malicious. The issue was caused by missing file extensions in album images sent with the digital-radio broadcast, which triggered the glitch in the infotainment systems of 2014-17 Mazda vehicles in the Puget Sound area [124608]. The incident was not a result of malicious intent but rather a technical oversight that led to the systems being locked into the NPR network.
Intent (Poor/Accidental Decisions) accidental_decisions (a) The software failure incident in the article was not due to poor decisions but rather an accidental issue caused by missing file extensions in album images sent with the digital-radio broadcast, triggering the glitch in Mazda infotainment systems [124608].
Capability (Incompetence/Accidental) accidental (a) The software failure incident in the article was not attributed to development incompetence. Instead, it was caused by missing file extensions in album images sent with the digital-radio broadcast, which triggered the glitch in some 2014-17 Mazda vehicles with older software [124608]. (b) The software failure incident was accidental, as it was caused by missing file extensions in the album images sent with the digital-radio broadcast, leading to the issue on some Mazda vehicles [124608].
Duration permanent (a) The software failure incident in the article is described as permanent. Mazda drivers in the Puget Sound area reported that their infotainment systems were permanently locked into the National Public Radio network due to a tech bug triggered by missing file extensions in album images sent with the digital-radio broadcast [124608]. Customers mentioned that they couldn't change the station, use navigation, or Bluetooth, indicating a persistent issue that required a component replacement to fix. Additionally, multiple customers were affected, with reports of 50 customers being in the same situation, all stuck on the same radio station [124608].
Behaviour crash, omission, other (a) crash: The software failure incident in the article can be categorized as a crash. The Mazda infotainment systems in certain vehicles were permanently locked into the NPR network, with the on-screen menu continuously cycling through options and the system not responding to attempts to reboot it [124608]. (b) omission: The software failure incident can also be categorized as an omission. The glitch was triggered by missing file extensions in album images sent with the digital-radio broadcast, causing the system to omit the functionality of allowing users to retune their radios [124608]. (c) timing: The software failure incident does not align with a timing failure as the system was not reported to be performing its intended functions too late or too early. (d) value: The software failure incident does not align with a value failure as the system was not reported to be performing its intended functions incorrectly. (e) byzantine: The software failure incident does not align with a byzantine failure as the system was not reported to be behaving with inconsistent responses and interactions. (f) other: The other behavior exhibited by the software failure incident is the system being stuck and unable to change from the NPR network, affecting the overall usability and functionality of the infotainment systems in the affected Mazda vehicles [124608].

IoT System Layer

Layer Option Rationale
Perception None None
Communication None None
Application None None

Other Details

Category Option Rationale
Consequence property, delay, non-human The consequence of the software failure incident reported in the articles was primarily related to inconvenience and impact on the functionality of the affected Mazda vehicles' infotainment systems. Users were unable to retune their radios and were stuck listening to a specific radio station (NPR) due to a tech bug triggered by missing file extensions in album images sent with the digital-radio broadcast [124608]. This issue led to users being unable to change stations, use navigation, or utilize Bluetooth features, causing frustration and inconvenience [124608]. Additionally, the glitch resulted in the infotainment units perpetually restarting for some users, further exacerbating the usability issues [124608]. The consequence of the software failure incident can be categorized as a "delay" in the normal operation and functionality of the affected vehicles.
Domain information (a) The software failure incident reported in Article 124608 is related to the information industry. The incident involved Mazda radios being locked into a National Public Radio (NPR) network due to a tech bug triggered by missing file extensions in album images sent with the digital-radio broadcast [124608]. The issue affected owners of 2014-17 Mazdas in the Puget Sound area, causing their infotainment systems to be permanently tuned to the NPR network, thus impacting the production and distribution of information.

Sources

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