| Recurring |
multiple_organization |
(a) The software failure incident at one_organization:
The article does not provide information about a similar incident happening before within the same organization or with its products and services. Therefore, it is unknown if a similar incident has occurred before at the same organization [126680].
(b) The software failure incident at multiple_organization:
The article mentions that hacking of soldiers' details has been a feature of the war in Ukraine, with hacker group Anonymous claiming to have released personal details of 120,000 Russian soldiers fighting in Ukraine in early April. This indicates that similar incidents of data compromise or hacking have occurred in the context of military operations involving different organizations or countries, such as the British army and Russian soldiers [126680]. |
| Phase (Design/Operation) |
design, operation |
(a) The software failure incident in the article was primarily related to the design phase. The incident occurred due to a possible hack that compromised candidate data in Britain's computerized army recruitment system [126680]. The system was shut down as a precaution after data relating to army recruits was discovered being offered for sale on the dark web. It was unclear whether there had been a hack or if someone had simply obtained a screen grab or print out, indicating a vulnerability in the system's design that allowed for such compromises.
(b) Additionally, the software failure incident also had elements related to the operation phase. The external online portal of the army recruitment system remained down for over five weeks, complicating army recruitment during the war in Ukraine. Emergency systems had to be used to handle candidate recruitment, indicating operational challenges faced due to the system being offline [126680]. |
| Boundary (Internal/External) |
within_system, outside_system |
(a) within_system: The software failure incident related to the compromise of the army recruitment system in Britain was primarily due to factors originating from within the system. The incident involved the compromise of candidate data within the system, leading to the suspension of online recruitment services [126680]. The internal Defence Recruitment System was affected, and the enrolment portal was offline due to the discovery of data being offered for sale on the dark web, indicating a breach within the system itself. The investigation into the compromise and subsequent restoration of the internal system highlight the internal nature of the failure.
(b) outside_system: The software failure incident also had elements that originated from outside the system. While the exact source of the compromise was not confirmed, there were suggestions that it could have been a low-level compromise, potentially involving external actors like Russia or Russian actors [126680]. Additionally, the article mentions the release of personal details of Russian soldiers by hacker group Anonymous, indicating external threats impacting the system. The need for emergency systems to handle recruitment due to the external portal being down further emphasizes the influence of external factors on the software failure incident. |
| Nature (Human/Non-human) |
non-human_actions, human_actions |
(a) The software failure incident in the army recruitment system was likely due to non-human actions, specifically a possible hack that compromised candidate data. The article mentions that data relating to army recruits was discovered being offered for sale on the dark web, indicating unauthorized access and manipulation of the system [126680].
(b) On the other hand, human actions also played a role in the incident as the decision to temporarily suspend the online recruitment services and conduct an investigation was made by officials and the army spokesperson. Additionally, the recruitment process being handled jointly by outsourcing group Capita and the British army could have contributed to vulnerabilities in the system [126680]. |
| Dimension (Hardware/Software) |
software |
(a) The software failure incident in the article was not attributed to hardware issues. Instead, it was reported that candidate data was compromised in a possible hack, leading to the closure of Britain's computerized army recruitment system [126680]. This indicates that the failure originated from software-related vulnerabilities rather than hardware issues. |
| Objective (Malicious/Non-malicious) |
malicious |
(a) The software failure incident in this case is considered malicious. The incident involved a possible hack where candidate data for army recruits was compromised, prompting alarmed officials to suspend the operations of the computerized army recruitment system [126680]. The compromised data was discovered being offered for sale on the dark web, indicating malicious intent to exploit the information. Additionally, the article mentions that conflicts often act as a spur to military recruitment, and the need for a steady stream of recruits is demonstrated by increased British army deployment in Poland and Estonia, suggesting potential motives for malicious actors to target the recruitment system [126680].
(b) There is no information provided in the articles to suggest that the software failure incident was non-malicious. |
| Intent (Poor/Accidental Decisions) |
unknown |
(a) The software failure incident related to the compromised army recruitment system in Britain was not explicitly attributed to poor decisions. The incident was described as a possible hack where candidate data was compromised, prompting alarmed officials to suspend its operations. The article mentioned that it was unclear whether there had been a hack or if someone had simply obtained a screen grab or print out, indicating uncertainty about the exact nature of the compromise [126680].
(b) The software failure incident was not explicitly attributed to accidental decisions either. The article did not provide specific details about mistakes or unintended decisions that led to the compromise of the recruitment system. Instead, it focused on the impact of the incident, the actions taken to investigate and restore functionality, and the potential implications for recruitment numbers [126680]. |
| Capability (Incompetence/Accidental) |
development_incompetence, accidental |
(a) The software failure incident in the article can be attributed to development incompetence. The incident involved the compromise of candidate data in Britain's computerized army recruitment system, leading to the closure of the system during the war in Ukraine. It was mentioned that data relating to army recruits was discovered being offered for sale on the dark web, indicating a breach in the system's security [126680].
(b) The software failure incident can also be considered accidental to some extent. The article mentioned that it was unclear whether the compromise was a result of a hack or if someone had simply obtained a screen grab or print out of the data. This ambiguity suggests that the incident may have occurred accidentally or due to a lack of robust security measures in place [126680]. |
| Duration |
temporary |
The software failure incident related to the British army recruitment system being closed due to a possible hack was temporary. The enrolment portal was offline since mid-March as a precautionary measure after data of army recruits was compromised. The incident prompted alarmed officials to suspend its operations, and the system was temporarily suspended pending an investigation. Eventually, some functionality was restored, and applications started being processed again [126680]. |
| Behaviour |
crash, omission, value, other |
(a) crash: The software failure incident in Article 126680 resulted in the closure of Britain's computerized army recruitment system after candidate data was compromised in a possible hack. The enrolment portal has been offline since mid-March, prompting alarmed officials to suspend its operations. This indicates a crash where the system lost its state and was not performing its intended functions [126680].
(b) omission: The article mentions that the compromise of a small selection of recruit data led to the temporary suspension of the army's online recruitment services. This omission of performing the intended functions at that instance is a result of the failure incident [126680].
(c) timing: The software failure incident caused delays in the recruitment process as the external online portal remained down for over five weeks during the two-month war in Ukraine. This timing issue, where the system was performing its intended functions but too late, affected the recruitment process [126680].
(d) value: The incident involved the compromise of candidate data, indicating that the system was performing its intended functions incorrectly by allowing unauthorized access to sensitive information. This is a value-related failure where the system did not perform its functions correctly [126680].
(e) byzantine: The article does not provide information suggesting a byzantine behavior in the software failure incident.
(f) other: The software failure incident also led to the use of emergency systems to handle candidate recruitment, indicating an unexpected behavior of the system not covered by the options (a) to (e) [126680]. |