| Recurring |
multiple_organization |
(a) The software failure incident related to the hijacking of Microsoft's Power Automate tool to send ransomware and steal data from devices has not been reported to have happened again within the same organization or with its products and services [132586].
(b) The article mentions a previous incident in early 2020 where Microsoft's security team found six hacker groups, including a Chinese APT, inside the network of one company. One of the hacker groups used automated systems, including Microsoft Flow, to automate stealing search results [132586]. This indicates that similar incidents involving the abuse of automation tools have occurred at other organizations as well. |
| Phase (Design/Operation) |
design, operation |
(a) The software failure incident related to the design phase is evident in the article. The incident involves a security researcher who found a way to hijack Microsoft's Power Automate, an automation tool built into Windows 11, to send ransomware to connected machines and steal data from devices. This attack leverages the automation tool as it was designed, but malicious actions are substituted for legitimate ones, showcasing a failure due to contributing factors introduced by system development and updates [132586].
(b) The software failure incident related to the operation phase is also highlighted in the article. Once an attacker gains access to a computer, they can abuse the RPA setup by setting up a Microsoft cloud account with admin controls over assigned machines and using silent registration to assign compromised machines to the new admin account. This misuse of the system's operation allows attackers to send payloads, push out ransomware, steal authentication tokens, exfiltrate data, build keyloggers, take information from the clipboard, and control the browser, demonstrating a failure due to contributing factors introduced by the operation or misuse of the system [132586]. |
| Boundary (Internal/External) |
within_system, outside_system |
(a) within_system: The software failure incident described in the article is primarily within the system. The attack on Microsoft's Power Automate tool, known as Power Pwn, involves exploiting the automation tool itself to deploy malware and steal data from connected machines [132586]. The attack takes advantage of the infrastructure of the automation tool to run malicious payloads instead of legitimate actions, showcasing a failure originating from within the system.
(b) outside_system: The software failure incident also involves contributing factors that originate from outside the system. The attack scenario assumes that the attacker has already gained access to a computer through methods like phishing or insider threats before exploiting the RPA setup within the system [132586]. This external access to the system is a critical factor in the success of the attack, indicating an element of the failure originating from outside the system. |
| Nature (Human/Non-human) |
non-human_actions, human_actions |
(a) The software failure incident occurring due to non-human actions:
- The incident described in the article is related to a security researcher finding a way to hijack Microsoft's software automation tool to send ransomware to connected machines and steal data from devices [132586].
- The attack utilizes Microsoft's Power Automate, an automation tool built into Windows 11, which uses robotic process automation (RPA) to mimic human actions to complete tasks [132586].
- The attack involves exploiting the infrastructure of the automation tool to run malicious payloads instead of legitimate actions, showcasing a failure introduced without human participation [132586].
(b) The software failure incident occurring due to human actions:
- The incident involves a hacker gaining access to someone's computer, either through phishing or an insider threat, before proceeding to abuse the RPA setup [132586].
- The attacker needs to set up a Microsoft cloud account with admin controls over assigned machines and then assign compromised machines to this account using a simple command line, indicating human actions contributing to the failure [132586].
- The attack relies on hypothetical scenarios where systems are already compromised or susceptible to compromise, potentially through social engineering, highlighting human actions as contributing factors [132586]. |
| Dimension (Hardware/Software) |
hardware, software |
(a) The software failure incident related to hardware:
- The incident described in the article [132586] involves a security researcher who found a way to hijack Microsoft's software automation tool, Power Automate, to send ransomware to connected machines and steal data from devices. This attack is based on Microsoft's Power Automate, which is a software tool built into Windows 11 and uses a form of robotic process automation (RPA) where a computer mimics human actions to complete tasks. The attack involves setting up a Microsoft cloud account with admin controls over assigned machines, allowing the malicious account to run RPA processes on end-user devices [132586].
(b) The software failure incident related to software:
- The incident described in the article [132586] involves a software failure where a security researcher demonstrated how an attacker could abuse Microsoft's Power Automate to deploy ransomware and steal data from machines. The attack leverages the legitimate functionalities of the automation tool to run malicious payloads instead of enterprise payloads. This highlights a vulnerability in the software that can be exploited by attackers who have gained access to a computer through phishing or insider threats [132586]. |
| Objective (Malicious/Non-malicious) |
malicious |
(a) The objective of the software failure incident was malicious. The incident involved a security researcher who found a way to hijack Microsoft's Power Automate software automation tool to send ransomware to connected machines and steal data from devices. The attack was designed to exploit the infrastructure of the automation tool to run malicious payloads instead of legitimate actions [132586]. The attack involved setting up a Microsoft cloud account with admin controls over machines, allowing the attacker to run malicious processes on end user devices. The attacker could push out ransomware to impacted machines and steal authentication tokens, demonstrating the malicious intent behind the software failure incident.
(b) The software failure incident was not non-malicious. The incident involved exploiting the Power Automate tool to carry out malicious actions such as deploying ransomware and stealing data from devices. The attack required the attacker to have gained access to a computer through methods like phishing or insider threats, indicating a deliberate intent to harm the system [132586]. The attack was based on taking advantage of the RPA setup within the Power Automate tool, showcasing a malicious use of the software rather than a non-malicious failure. |
| Intent (Poor/Accidental Decisions) |
unknown |
(a) The intent of the software failure incident was not due to poor decisions but rather due to intentional actions by a security researcher who found a way to hijack Microsoft's software automation tool to send ransomware and steal data from connected machines [132586]. The attack was based on exploiting the functionality of Microsoft's Power Automate tool for malicious purposes, rather than being a result of poor decisions made during the development or implementation of the software. |
| Capability (Incompetence/Accidental) |
development_incompetence, unknown |
(a) The software failure incident related to development incompetence is evident in the article where a security researcher found a way to hijack Microsoft's software automation tool, Power Automate, to send ransomware to connected machines and steal data from devices [132586]. This incident highlights a failure due to contributing factors introduced by the lack of professional competence in ensuring the security and integrity of the automation tool.
(b) The software failure incident related to accidental factors is not explicitly mentioned in the provided article. |
| Duration |
temporary |
The software failure incident described in the articles can be categorized as a temporary failure. The incident involved a security researcher demonstrating how Microsoft's Power Automate, an automation tool, could be hijacked to send ransomware and steal data from connected machines [132586]. This incident was not a permanent failure but rather a temporary one caused by specific circumstances where the tool was exploited by an attacker. |
| Behaviour |
value, other |
(a) crash: The software failure incident described in the article does not involve a crash where the system loses state and does not perform any of its intended functions. Instead, the incident involves the exploitation of Microsoft's Power Automate tool to deploy ransomware and steal data [132586].
(b) omission: The incident does not involve the system omitting to perform its intended functions at an instance(s). Instead, it involves the abuse of the automation tool to carry out malicious actions [132586].
(c) timing: The failure is not related to the system performing its intended functions too late or too early. It is about the misuse of the automation tool to execute unauthorized actions [132586].
(d) value: The software failure incident is related to the system performing its intended functions incorrectly. In this case, the automation tool is being used to deploy ransomware and steal data instead of legitimate actions [132586].
(e) byzantine: The incident does not involve the system behaving erroneously with inconsistent responses and interactions. It is more about exploiting the system for malicious purposes [132586].
(f) other: The behavior of the software failure incident can be categorized as unauthorized use of the system for malicious activities, specifically using the Power Automate tool to carry out attacks such as deploying ransomware and stealing data [132586]. |