| Recurring |
multiple_organization |
(a) The software failure incident having happened again at one_organization:
The article does not mention any previous incidents of a similar nature happening again within The Guardian organization.
(b) The software failure incident having happened again at multiple_organization:
The article mentions that news organizations around the world have been regular targets for cyber-attacks, indicating that similar incidents have occurred at other organizations as well [136979]. |
| Phase (Design/Operation) |
design, operation |
(a) The software failure incident in Article 136979 is related to the design phase as it was caused by a ransomware attack that affected the company's IT network and systems. This incident was believed to be a ransomware attack where hackers gained access to the computer system and made demands to restore services. The incident impacted parts of the company's technology infrastructure, leading to disruption in behind-the-scenes services. The company's technology teams have been working to deal with all aspects of this incident, indicating a failure introduced by system development or updates [136979].
(b) The software failure incident in Article 136979 is also related to the operation phase as staff were instructed to work from home due to the disruption caused by the IT incident. Despite the internal systems being affected, the company was confident it could still produce the print newspaper and continue publishing globally to the website and apps. The majority of the staff were able to work from home, similar to how they operated during the pandemic, indicating a failure introduced by the operation or misuse of the system [136979]. |
| Boundary (Internal/External) |
within_system |
(a) within_system: The software failure incident at The Guardian is believed to be a ransomware attack, indicating that the failure originated from within the system itself. The incident affected parts of the company's technology infrastructure and internal systems, leading to disruptions in behind-the-scenes services. The company's technology teams have been working to address the incident, suggesting that the failure is primarily within the system [136979].
(b) outside_system: The ransomware attack on The Guardian, while impacting the internal systems and technology infrastructure, is attributed to external factors. The incident is described as a cyber-attack, a common threat faced by news organizations globally from criminals and nation states. Hackers gained access to the computer system externally and made demands to restore services, indicating that the failure originated from outside the system [136979]. |
| Nature (Human/Non-human) |
non-human_actions |
(a) The software failure incident in Article 136979 is attributed to a non-human action, specifically a ransomware attack. The incident is believed to be a result of hackers gaining access to the company's computer system and making demands to restore services. The article mentions that the incident has affected the company's IT network and systems, leading to disruptions in behind-the-scenes services. The Guardian Media Group chief executive and editor-in-chief stated that they are considering all possibilities but believe it to be a ransomware attack, a type of cyber-attack carried out by external parties [136979]. |
| Dimension (Hardware/Software) |
hardware |
(a) The software failure incident reported in Article 136979 is believed to be a ransomware attack, which is a type of cyber-attack where hackers gain access to a computer system and make demands to restore services. This incident is more related to a hardware failure as it involves external actors gaining unauthorized access to the company's IT network and systems, rather than an internal software issue originating within the system itself.
(b) The software failure incident in Article 136979 is not specifically attributed to a software-related issue within the company's technology infrastructure. Instead, it is described as a ransomware attack, indicating that the failure originated from external factors (hackers) compromising the system rather than an internal software fault. |
| Objective (Malicious/Non-malicious) |
malicious |
(a) The software failure incident reported in Article 136979 is malicious in nature. The incident is believed to be a ransomware attack on The Guardian's IT network and systems. The attack involved hackers gaining access to the computer system and making demands to restore services. The company's chief executive and editor-in-chief mentioned that they believe it to be a ransomware attack and are considering all possibilities, indicating that the failure was due to contributing factors introduced by humans with the intent to harm the system [136979]. |
| Intent (Poor/Accidental Decisions) |
poor_decisions |
(a) The intent of the software failure incident related to poor_decisions:
- The incident at The Guardian is believed to be a ransomware attack, where hackers gain access to a computer system and make demands to restore services [136979].
(b) The intent of the software failure incident related to accidental_decisions:
- There is no specific mention in the article indicating that the software failure incident was due to accidental decisions. |
| Capability (Incompetence/Accidental) |
accidental |
(a) The software failure incident does not seem to be related to development incompetence as it is described as a ransomware attack, which is typically caused by external malicious actors gaining unauthorized access to a computer system [136979].
(b) The incident is attributed to a ransomware attack, which is a type of cyber-attack where hackers gain access to a computer system and make demands to restore services. This indicates that the software failure incident was accidental in nature, caused by external malicious actors rather than internal accidental factors [136979]. |
| Duration |
temporary |
The software failure incident reported in Article 136979 is temporary. The incident, believed to be a ransomware attack, affected parts of The Guardian's technology infrastructure, leading to disruption in behind-the-scenes services. However, online publishing continued unaffected, with stories being written and published on the website and app. The company expressed confidence in being able to produce the print newspaper the following day despite the IT network and systems being affected. The incident prompted staff to work from home, and the technology teams were actively working to address the situation, indicating a temporary disruption rather than a permanent failure [136979]. |
| Behaviour |
other |
(a) crash: The incident at The Guardian is described as a serious IT incident, believed to be a ransomware attack. It has affected parts of the company’s technology infrastructure, with staff told to work from home. Despite this, online publishing is largely unaffected, with stories continuing to be written and published to the Guardian website and app. The company expressed confidence in still being able to produce Thursday’s print newspaper, indicating that the system may have experienced a crash but is still able to perform some of its intended functions [136979].
(b) omission: The articles do not specifically mention any instances of the system omitting to perform its intended functions.
(c) timing: The incident does not indicate any issues related to the system performing its intended functions too late or too early.
(d) value: The articles do not mention the system performing its intended functions incorrectly.
(e) byzantine: The incident does not describe the system behaving erroneously with inconsistent responses and interactions.
(f) other: The other behavior observed in this incident is the system being targeted by a ransomware attack, which is a deliberate act by external actors to disrupt the system's operations and potentially compromise data security [136979]. |