| Recurring |
one_organization, multiple_organization |
(a) The software failure incident having happened again at one_organization:
Equifax, one of the nation's largest credit bureaus, experienced a software failure incident related to inaccurate credit scores being sent out to millions of Americans due to a coding issue [133801]. This incident impacted consumers' credit decisions and led to lenders denying loans based on incorrect information provided by Equifax.
(b) The software failure incident having happened again at multiple_organization:
The article mentions that the Consumer Financial Protection Bureau warned of "serious harms stemming from their faulty financial surveillance business model" involving "America's credit reporting oligopoly," which includes credit-reporting agencies like Equifax, Experian, and TransUnion [133801]. This suggests that similar incidents related to inaccurate credit reporting or other software failures may have occurred within this group of credit-reporting agencies. |
| Phase (Design/Operation) |
design |
(a) The software failure incident in Article 133801 occurred due to a coding issue during the development phase. Equifax mentioned that the error in credit scores for millions of Americans was caused by a coding issue [133801]. This indicates that the failure was a result of contributing factors introduced during the system development phase. |
| Boundary (Internal/External) |
within_system, outside_system |
(a) within_system: The software failure incident related to Equifax's inaccurate credit scores for millions of Americans was attributed to a coding issue within Equifax's system. Equifax stated that the error was due to a coding issue, and they have since readjusted all scores affected by the mistake [133801].
(b) outside_system: The software failure incident involving Equifax's credit reporting error was also influenced by external factors such as the impact on consumers who were denied credit due to Equifax's mistake. The Consumer Financial Protection Bureau criticized the credit reporting agencies, including Equifax, for inadequately responding to consumer complaints and warned of serious harms stemming from their faulty financial surveillance business model [133801]. |
| Nature (Human/Non-human) |
non-human_actions |
(a) The software failure incident occurring due to non-human actions:
The software failure incident at Equifax, where inaccurate credit scores were sent out to millions of Americans, was attributed to a coding issue [133801]. This coding issue led to credit scores being incorrectly increased or decreased by more than 20 points, affecting interest rates and prompting lenders to deny loans. Equifax stated that less than 300,000 consumers experienced a score shift of 25 points or more due to this non-human factor.
(b) The software failure incident occurring due to human actions:
The articles do not mention any specific human actions that directly contributed to the software failure incident at Equifax. |
| Dimension (Hardware/Software) |
software |
(a) The software failure incident occurring due to hardware:
- The article does not mention any hardware-related contributing factors that led to the software failure incident. Therefore, it is unknown if the incident was caused by hardware issues.
(b) The software failure incident occurring due to software:
- The software failure incident was attributed to a coding issue, as stated by Equifax in an August 2 statement. This coding issue led to inaccurate credit scores being sent out to millions of Americans, affecting interest rates and prompting lenders to deny loans [133801]. |
| Objective (Malicious/Non-malicious) |
non-malicious |
(a) The software failure incident related to Equifax's credit reporting error was non-malicious. The error was attributed to a coding issue within Equifax's system, leading to inaccurate credit scores for millions of Americans. Equifax stated that the scores have been readjusted, and they encouraged impacted individuals to contact their lenders for more information [133801]. |
| Intent (Poor/Accidental Decisions) |
poor_decisions |
(a) The software failure incident related to Equifax's inaccurate credit scores for millions of Americans was primarily due to poor decisions. Equifax attributed the error to a coding issue [133801]. The Consumer Financial Protection Bureau criticized the credit reporting agencies, including Equifax, for inadequately responding to consumer complaints and warned of serious harms stemming from their faulty financial surveillance business model [133801]. |
| Capability (Incompetence/Accidental) |
development_incompetence, accidental |
(a) The software failure incident occurring due to development incompetence:
- Equifax's credit reporting error, which led to inaccurate credit scores for millions of Americans, was attributed to a coding issue [133801].
- The Consumer Financial Protection Bureau criticized the credit reporting agencies, including Equifax, for inadequately responding to consumer complaints about errors, indicating a pattern of incompetence in handling financial surveillance [133801].
(b) The software failure incident occurring accidentally:
- The inaccurate credit scores sent out by Equifax were described as a result of a coding issue, suggesting that the error was unintentional [133801]. |
| Duration |
temporary |
The software failure incident related to Equifax's inaccurate credit scores was temporary. The incident occurred between March and early April, affecting millions of Americans, but Equifax stated that the error was due to a coding issue and all scores have since been readjusted [133801]. |
| Behaviour |
crash, omission, value, other |
(a) crash: The software failure incident in the Equifax case resulted in inaccurate credit scores being sent out for millions of Americans between March and early April. This crash led to many credit scores being incorrectly increased or decreased by more than 20 points, affecting interest rates and prompting lenders to deny loans [Article 133801].
(b) omission: The software failure incident led to the omission of performing the intended function of providing accurate credit scores to consumers. This omission resulted in consumers potentially being denied credit or receiving incorrect interest rates due to the errors in the credit scores [Article 133801].
(c) timing: The software failure incident did not specifically mention any timing-related failures where the system performed its intended functions too late or too early.
(d) value: The software failure incident falls under the category of a value failure as the system performed its intended function of providing credit scores, but did so incorrectly by sending out inaccurate scores to millions of Americans, impacting their credit decisions [Article 133801].
(e) byzantine: The software failure incident did not exhibit behaviors of a byzantine failure where the system behaves erroneously with inconsistent responses and interactions.
(f) other: The software failure incident could also be categorized as a flaw in the system's coding that led to the errors in credit scores being sent out. This flaw in the coding resulted in the incorrect adjustment of credit scores for less than 300,000 consumers, potentially influencing lenders' decisions [Article 133801]. |