| Recurring |
one_organization |
(a) The software failure incident has happened again at one_organization:
- Camelot, the national lottery operator, faced three errors on its mobile app that affected tens of thousands of players [Article 125410].
- The incidents included issues such as users being told their winning tickets had lost, players being charged for and receiving two tickets instead of one, and marketing messages being sent to customers who had self-excluded or showed signs of addiction [Article 125410].
- Camelot accepted the outcome of the Gambling Commission's investigation regarding these historical incidents and paid the fine for the failures [Article 125410].
(b) The software failure incident has happened again at multiple_organization:
- The articles do not mention similar incidents happening at other organizations or with their products and services. |
| Phase (Design/Operation) |
design, operation |
(a) The software failure incident related to the design phase can be seen in the case of Camelot's mobile app errors reported in the news articles [125410, 125318]. The errors on the app, such as users being told their winning tickets had lost when scanning a QR code, players being charged for and receiving two tickets instead of one, and marketing messages being sent to customers who had self-excluded or showed signs of addiction, indicate failures introduced during the system development or updates. These design flaws led to significant issues affecting tens of thousands of players.
(b) The software failure incident related to the operation phase can be observed in the same Camelot's mobile app errors incident [125410, 125318]. The operation failure occurred when users were unable to buy a National Lottery product through the app despite being targeted with marketing messages. This failure was a result of the operation or misuse of the system, where customers who should not have been able to access the services were still receiving marketing messages, indicating a breakdown in operational controls or procedures. |
| Boundary (Internal/External) |
within_system |
(a) The software failure incident involving Camelot's mobile app was primarily within the system. The errors, such as misinforming users about winning tickets, charging for duplicate tickets, and sending marketing messages to restricted customers, all originated from within the app itself [125410, 125318]. These issues were related to the functionality and design of the app, indicating internal system failures rather than external factors. |
| Nature (Human/Non-human) |
non-human_actions, human_actions |
(a) The software failure incident involving the national lottery operator Camelot was primarily due to non-human actions. The errors on its mobile app, such as users being told their winning tickets had lost when scanned, players being charged for and receiving two tickets instead of one, and marketing messages being sent to excluded customers, were all technical issues within the app itself [125410, 125318].
(b) However, it's important to note that human actions were also involved in the sense that Camelot, as the operator, was responsible for ensuring the proper functioning of the app and compliance with regulations. The fines imposed by the Gambling Commission were a result of Camelot's failure to meet its duties and license requirements, indicating a level of human responsibility in overseeing the software's performance and adherence to guidelines [125410, 125318]. |
| Dimension (Hardware/Software) |
software |
(a) The articles do not mention any hardware-related failures that contributed to the software failure incident.
(b) The software failure incident reported in the articles was due to errors in Camelot's mobile app. The errors included issues such as users being incorrectly informed about winning tickets, being charged for and receiving duplicate tickets, and receiving marketing messages despite self-excluding or showing signs of addiction. These errors were specifically related to the functionality and performance of the software application [125410, 125318]. |
| Objective (Malicious/Non-malicious) |
non-malicious |
(a) The software failure incident involving Camelot's mobile app was non-malicious. The errors on the app, such as misinforming users about winning tickets, charging for duplicate tickets, and sending marketing messages to restricted customers, were not intentional acts to harm the system but rather resulted from operational mistakes and system flaws [125410, 125318]. |
| Intent (Poor/Accidental Decisions) |
poor_decisions |
(a) The software failure incident involving Camelot's mobile app was primarily due to poor decisions made by the company. The errors on the app, such as wrongly informing users about winning tickets, charging for duplicate tickets, and sending marketing messages to restricted customers, were a result of specific circumstances where controls fell short of the mark [125410, 125318]. The company accepted the outcome of the investigation and acknowledged that some of their controls did not meet the required standards in certain situations. They mentioned that they always strive to operate the national lottery to the highest possible standards but admitted that their controls fell short in specific circumstances, leading to the software failure incident. |
| Capability (Incompetence/Accidental) |
development_incompetence |
(a) The software failure incident related to development incompetence is evident in the case of Camelot's mobile app errors reported in both Article 125410 and Article 125318. The errors on the app, such as wrongly informing users about winning tickets, charging for duplicate tickets, and sending marketing messages to restricted customers, indicate a lack of professional competence in the development and testing processes [125410, 125318].
(b) The software failure incident related to accidental factors is not explicitly mentioned in the provided articles. |
| Duration |
temporary |
The software failure incident reported in the articles about the National Lottery operator Camelot involved temporary failures. These failures were specific to certain circumstances and were not permanent. The errors on the mobile app, such as misinforming users about winning tickets, charging for duplicate tickets, and sending marketing messages to restricted customers, were identified and addressed by Camelot. The incidents were not ongoing or permanent issues but rather specific errors that occurred within a certain timeframe and were subsequently resolved [125410, 125318]. |
| Behaviour |
omission, value, other |
(a) crash: The software failure incident did not involve a crash where the system loses state and does not perform any of its intended functions [125410, 125318].
(b) omission: The software failure incident involved omission where the system omitted to perform its intended functions at instances, such as users being told their winning tickets had lost when they had actually won, and customers not being able to buy National Lottery products through the app [125410, 125318].
(c) timing: The software failure incident did not involve timing issues where the system performed its intended functions correctly but too late or too early [125410, 125318].
(d) value: The software failure incident involved value issues where the system performed its intended functions incorrectly, such as users being charged for and receiving two tickets instead of one [125410, 125318].
(e) byzantine: The software failure incident did not exhibit byzantine behavior where the system behaves erroneously with inconsistent responses and interactions [125410, 125318].
(f) other: The other behavior observed in the software failure incident was the sending of marketing messages to customers who had self-excluded or showed signs of addiction, which was not intended and could be considered a violation of regulations [125410, 125318]. |