| Recurring |
multiple_organization |
(a) The software failure incident related to Okta being targeted by a hacking group known as Lapsus$ is a unique incident specific to Okta. There is no mention in the article of a similar incident happening before within the same organization [125659].
(b) The hacking group Lapsus$ has claimed to have targeted several high-profile corporate victims since December, indicating that similar incidents have occurred at multiple organizations [125659]. |
| Phase (Design/Operation) |
design, operation |
(a) The software failure incident related to the design phase: The incident at Okta was not a result of a breach in the service itself but rather due to an attacker gaining access to a support engineer's laptop. This breach occurred in January and was contained, with the company stating that the potential impact to customers is limited to the access that support engineers have. The support engineers are unable to download customer databases or create/delete users, although they can facilitate password resets and MFA factors for users. This incident highlights the importance of system development and security procedures to prevent unauthorized access to sensitive information [125659].
(b) The software failure incident related to the operation phase: The incident involving Okta's security breach can be attributed to the operation phase, specifically the misuse of access by the attacker who gained entry to a support engineer's laptop. The breach did not directly impact the service's functionality but rather exposed potential vulnerabilities in the operational practices related to handling customer data and access controls. It underscores the significance of proper operational protocols and user access management to prevent unauthorized intrusions and protect sensitive information [125659]. |
| Boundary (Internal/External) |
within_system |
(a) within_system: The software failure incident at Okta was primarily within the system. The incident involved an attacker gaining access to a support engineer's laptop for five days in January. However, Okta clarified that the service itself was not breached, and the authentication service used by customers remained fully operational without any breach [125659]. The failure was contained within the system's support engineer access and did not extend to compromising the core service or customer databases. |
| Nature (Human/Non-human) |
non-human_actions, human_actions |
(a) The software failure incident in the article was primarily due to non-human actions. The incident involved an attacker gaining access to a support engineer's laptop for five days in January, leading to concerns about a possible breach. However, the Okta service itself was not breached, and the potential impact was limited to the access that support engineers have, as they are unable to download customer databases or obtain passwords [125659].
(b) Human actions also played a role in the incident as the hacking group known as Lapsus$ claimed responsibility for the incident and published screenshots claiming access to an Okta internal administrative account and the firm’s Slack channel. Additionally, the group appeared to have tried to recruit rogue employees at companies who would be willing to provide passwords to help with the hacks [125659]. |
| Dimension (Hardware/Software) |
software |
(a) The software failure incident reported in the article is not attributed to hardware issues. The incident involved an attacker gaining access to a support engineer's laptop, indicating a breach that originated from a security vulnerability in the software system rather than hardware issues [125659].
(b) The software failure incident is directly related to software issues, specifically a security breach that allowed unauthorized access to an Okta support engineer's laptop. The breach was not due to hardware failure but rather a vulnerability in the software system that enabled the attacker to access sensitive information [125659]. |
| Objective (Malicious/Non-malicious) |
malicious |
(a) The software failure incident reported in the article is malicious in nature. An attacker gained access to a support engineer's laptop for five days in January, and a hacking group known as Lapsus$ claimed responsibility for the incident. The group claimed access to an Okta internal administrative account and the firm's Slack channel, with a focus on Okta customers. The group has been targeting high-profile corporate victims since December, with the objective of monetary gain. There is no evidence that the hackers have used ransomware, but they have tried to recruit rogue employees at companies to assist with the hacks [125659]. |
| Intent (Poor/Accidental Decisions) |
unknown |
(a) The intent of the software failure incident related to poor_decisions:
- The software failure incident involving Okta was not due to poor decisions but rather a targeted attack by a hacking group known as Lapsus$ [125659].
(b) The intent of the software failure incident related to accidental_decisions:
- The software failure incident was not accidental but rather a deliberate attack by the hacking group Lapsus$ who claimed responsibility for the incident [125659]. |
| Capability (Incompetence/Accidental) |
accidental |
(a) The software failure incident does not seem to be related to development incompetence. The incident was primarily caused by an attacker gaining access to a support engineer's laptop, leading to potential unauthorized access to customer data. The company, Okta, emphasized that the service itself was not breached, and the impact was limited to the access that support engineers have [125659].
(b) The software failure incident appears to be accidental in nature. Okta stated that an attacker had access to a support engineer’s laptop for five days in January, indicating that the breach was not intentional or planned by the company. Additionally, the hacking group Lapsus$ claimed responsibility for the incident, suggesting that the unauthorized access was not a result of deliberate actions by Okta [125659]. |
| Duration |
temporary |
(a) The software failure incident in the article was temporary. The incident involved an attacker having access to a support engineer's laptop for five days in January. Okta confirmed that the service itself was not breached, and the potential impact to customers was limited to the access that support engineers have. Okta's Chief Security Officer mentioned that the incident was contained and that the firm was actively continuing the investigation to identify and contact impacted customers [125659]. |
| Behaviour |
other |
(a) crash: The software failure incident reported in Article 125659 does not involve a crash where the system loses state and does not perform any of its intended functions. The incident primarily revolves around a potential security breach where an attacker had access to a support engineer's laptop at Okta, an identity authentication service. The service itself was not breached, and the impact was limited to the access that support engineers have [125659].
(b) omission: The incident does not involve a failure due to the system omitting to perform its intended functions at an instance(s). Instead, it focuses on the potential security breach and unauthorized access to a support engineer's laptop at Okta [125659].
(c) timing: There is no indication in the article that the failure was due to the system performing its intended functions correctly but too late or too early. The main issue highlighted is the security incident involving unauthorized access to a support engineer's laptop [125659].
(d) value: The incident does not relate to a failure due to the system performing its intended functions incorrectly. The focus is on the potential security breach and the limited impact it had on Okta customers [125659].
(e) byzantine: The software failure incident does not involve a byzantine failure where the system behaves erroneously with inconsistent responses and interactions. The incident primarily revolves around a potential security breach and unauthorized access to a support engineer's laptop at Okta [125659].
(f) other: The behavior of the software failure incident can be categorized as a potential security breach due to unauthorized access to a support engineer's laptop at Okta. The incident did not result in a breach of the service itself, but rather focused on the access that support engineers have and the steps taken by the company to investigate and address the situation [125659]. |