| Recurring |
unknown |
(a) The software failure incident related to a vulnerability in TikTok's Android app that could allow attackers to hijack accounts by clicking on a single errant link is specific to TikTok, which is owned by the China-based social media company [132596]. There is no mention of a similar incident happening before within the same organization.
(b) The software failure incident involving a vulnerability in TikTok's Android app is not mentioned to have happened at other organizations or with their products and services in the provided article [132596]. |
| Phase (Design/Operation) |
design |
(a) The software failure incident in the article can be attributed to a design flaw. Microsoft identified a vulnerability in TikTok's Android app related to how the app verified deep links, allowing attackers to bypass the deep link verification and exploit the WebView component, granting them access to user authentication tokens and functionality [132596]. This vulnerability was a result of how the app was designed to handle deep links, indicating a flaw introduced during the development phase.
(b) The article does not provide information on the software failure incident being due to operation or misuse of the system. |
| Boundary (Internal/External) |
within_system, outside_system |
(a) within_system: The software failure incident in the article was due to a vulnerability within TikTok's Android app itself. Microsoft identified a vulnerability in how the app verified deep links, allowing attackers to bypass the verification and hijack accounts by forcing the app to load arbitrary URLs into the WebView component [132596]. This vulnerability was a flaw within the app's design and implementation.
(b) outside_system: The contributing factor that originated from outside the system in this software failure incident was the malicious actions of attackers exploiting the identified vulnerability in TikTok's Android app. The attackers were able to send targeted TikTok users malicious links that exploited the vulnerability to obtain authentication tokens and change user profile information [132596]. |
| Nature (Human/Non-human) |
non-human_actions, human_actions |
(a) The software failure incident in this case occurred due to non-human actions, specifically a vulnerability in TikTok's Android app that allowed attackers to hijack accounts by exploiting a flaw in how the app verified deep links [132596]. The vulnerability bypassed the app's deep link verification, enabling attackers to force the app to load an arbitrary URL and access the WebView's attached JavaScript bridges, granting functionality to attackers without human intervention.
(b) The software failure incident was not directly caused by human actions, as the vulnerability was identified by Microsoft and reported to TikTok, which then fixed the flaw [132596]. However, the potential exploitation of the vulnerability by attackers involved human actions, such as sending targeted TikTok users malicious links to obtain authentication tokens and change user profiles. |
| Dimension (Hardware/Software) |
software |
(a) The software failure incident reported in the articles is not related to hardware issues. It specifically mentions a vulnerability in TikTok's Android app that could allow attackers to hijack accounts by exploiting a flaw in how the app verified deep links [132596]. This vulnerability was not attributed to hardware factors but rather to a software flaw within the app's functionality.
(b) The software failure incident is directly linked to software issues. Microsoft identified a vulnerability in TikTok's Android app that allowed attackers to bypass deep link verification, leading to potential account hijacking [132596]. This vulnerability was a software flaw within the app's code that enabled the exploit, showcasing a failure originating in the software itself. |
| Objective (Malicious/Non-malicious) |
malicious |
(a) The software failure incident in this case was malicious. The vulnerability identified in TikTok's Android app allowed attackers to hijack accounts by exploiting a flaw in how the app verified deep links. Attackers could force the app to load an arbitrary URL to the app’s WebView, granting them access to the JavaScript bridges and functionality, including obtaining authentication tokens and changing a user's profile bio to display "!! SECURITY BREACH !!" [132596]. |
| Intent (Poor/Accidental Decisions) |
accidental_decisions |
(a) The software failure incident in this case was not due to poor decisions but rather due to a vulnerability in TikTok's Android app that allowed attackers to hijack accounts by exploiting a flaw in how the app verified deep links [132596]. The vulnerability was identified by Microsoft, and TikTok fixed the flaw after being notified. The incident was more about a technical flaw in the software rather than poor decisions leading to the failure. |
| Capability (Incompetence/Accidental) |
accidental |
(a) The software failure incident in the article was not attributed to development incompetence. The vulnerability in TikTok's Android app was identified by Microsoft, and TikTok promptly fixed the flaw after being notified. The incident was a result of a specific vulnerability in how the app verified deep links, allowing attackers to hijack accounts by bypassing the deep link verification process [132596].
(b) The software failure incident in the article was accidental in nature. The vulnerability in TikTok's Android app that could allow attackers to hijack accounts by clicking on a single errant link was not intentionally introduced but was a result of a flaw in the app's deep link verification process. Microsoft stated that they had no evidence of the vulnerability being actively exploited in the wild, indicating that the incident was accidental rather than a deliberate attack [132596]. |
| Duration |
temporary |
(a) The software failure incident described in the articles seems to be more of a temporary nature rather than permanent. The vulnerability in TikTok's Android app that could allow attackers to hijack accounts by clicking on a single errant link was identified by Microsoft in February and subsequently fixed by TikTok [132596]. This indicates that the specific contributing factors that led to the vulnerability were addressed and mitigated, making it a temporary failure rather than a permanent one. |
| Behaviour |
value, other |
(a) crash: The incident described in the articles does not involve a crash where the system loses state and stops performing its intended functions.
(b) omission: The software failure incident in the articles does not involve the system omitting to perform its intended functions at an instance(s).
(c) timing: The software failure incident does not relate to the system performing its intended functions correctly but at the wrong time.
(d) value: The software failure incident is related to the system performing its intended functions incorrectly. The vulnerability in TikTok's Android app allowed attackers to hijack accounts by bypassing deep link verification, granting them access to user authentication tokens and the ability to change user profile information [132596].
(e) byzantine: The software failure incident does not exhibit the system behaving erroneously with inconsistent responses and interactions.
(f) other: The behavior of the software failure incident can be categorized as a security vulnerability that allowed attackers to exploit the app's deep link verification process, leading to unauthorized access and manipulation of user account information [132596]. |