Incident: Samsung Galaxy S8 and S8 Plus Prone to Cracking Failure

Published Date: 2017-04-24

Postmortem Analysis
Timeline 1. The software failure incident involving the Samsung Galaxy S8 and S8 Plus happened in April 2017 as per the article published on April 24, 2017 [Article 50569].
System The software failure incident reported in the article did not involve a specific software system failure. The incident primarily focused on the physical design flaw of Samsung's Galaxy S8 and S8 Plus smartphones, which made them extremely susceptible to cracking when dropped from any angle. Therefore, the software systems did not fail in this case.
Responsible Organization unknown
Impacted Organization 1. Samsung - The software failure incident involving the Galaxy S8 and S8 Plus smartphones being extremely susceptible to cracking when dropped from any angle impacted Samsung [50569].
Software Causes unknown
Non-software Causes 1. Impact from dropping the smartphones faced down or on their back, leading to cracks and missing glass chunks [50569] 2. Design vulnerability due to the all-glass bodies of the S8 models, making them susceptible to damage from drops and impacts [50569]
Impacts 1. The Samsung Galaxy S8 and S8 Plus were found to be extremely susceptible to cracking when dropped from any angle, leading to small cracks and chunks of glass missing from the corners [Article 50569].
Preventions 1. Implementing stronger and more durable materials in the design of the smartphones to prevent cracking upon impact, such as using reinforced glass or impact-resistant coatings [50569].
Fixes unknown
References 1. SquareTrade Labs [Article 50569]

Software Taxonomy of Faults

Category Option Rationale
Recurring unknown The articles do not mention any specific software failure incidents related to either one_organization or multiple_organization. Therefore, the information regarding the recurrence of a software failure incident within the same organization or across multiple organizations is unknown.
Phase (Design/Operation) unknown The provided article does not mention any software failure incident related to the development phases (design or operation). Therefore, the information to answer this question is unknown.
Boundary (Internal/External) within_system (a) The software failure incident related to the Samsung Galaxy S8 and S8 Plus smartphones cracking under pressure of big impacts, especially when dropped faced down or on their back, is within_system. This failure is attributed to the design and construction of the smartphones, particularly the nearly all-glass design that makes them extremely susceptible to cracking when dropped from any angle [Article 50569].
Nature (Human/Non-human) non-human_actions (a) The software failure incident occurring due to non-human actions: The article discusses a breakability test conducted by SquareTrade Labs on Samsung's Galaxy S8 and S8 Plus smartphones. The test involved using a range of scientific robots to drop, slide, tumble, and dunk the devices to simulate real-life scenarios. The test revealed that the smartphones were extremely susceptible to cracking when dropped from any angle, leading to small cracks, chunks of glass missing from the corners, and other damages [50569]. (b) The software failure incident occurring due to human actions: The article does not mention any software failure incident caused by human actions.
Dimension (Hardware/Software) unknown The articles do not mention any software failure incident related to either hardware or software. Therefore, the information about the software failure incident related to hardware or software is unknown.
Objective (Malicious/Non-malicious) unknown The articles do not mention any software failure incident related to either a malicious or non-malicious objective. Therefore, the information to determine the nature of the software failure incident is unknown.
Intent (Poor/Accidental Decisions) unknown The articles do not mention any software failure incident related to poor decisions or accidental decisions.
Capability (Incompetence/Accidental) unknown The articles do not mention any software failure incident related to development incompetence or accidental factors.
Duration unknown The articles do not mention any software failure incident related to either permanent or temporary duration.
Behaviour crash, other (a) crash: The software failure incident related to the Samsung Galaxy S8 and S8 Plus smartphones can be categorized as a crash. The article mentions that the smartphones were found to crack under pressure of big impacts, especially when dropped faced down or on their back, resulting in small cracks or chunks of glass missing from the corners. This indicates a failure of the system to maintain its intended function after a significant impact, leading to physical damage [50569]. (b) omission: The software failure incident does not directly relate to a system omission where the system fails to perform its intended functions at an instance(s) [50569]. (c) timing: The software failure incident does not involve a timing issue where the system performs its intended functions correctly but at the wrong time (too late or too early) [50569]. (d) value: The software failure incident does not involve the system performing its intended functions incorrectly [50569]. (e) byzantine: The software failure incident does not exhibit a byzantine behavior where the system behaves erroneously with inconsistent responses and interactions [50569]. (f) other: The software failure incident in this case involves the physical failure of the smartphones' glass screens when subjected to impacts, indicating a failure related to the physical durability of the hardware rather than a specific software behavior [50569].

IoT System Layer

Layer Option Rationale
Perception None None
Communication None None
Application None None

Other Details

Category Option Rationale
Consequence no_consequence The articles do not mention any software failure incident related to death, harm, basic needs, property loss, or delays caused by the software failure. There is also no mention of non-human entities being impacted by the software failure. The articles discuss the breakability of Samsung's Galaxy S8 and S8 Plus smartphones due to their design, which makes them susceptible to cracking when dropped, but there are no real observed consequences mentioned in the articles [50569].
Domain entertainment The software failure incident reported in the article is related to the smartphone industry, specifically the Samsung Galaxy S8 and S8 Plus devices. The incident involved the susceptibility of these smartphones to cracking when dropped from any angle, leading to various levels of damage to the glass screens [Article 50569]. This incident falls under the category of (k) entertainment as smartphones are widely used for entertainment purposes such as watching videos, playing games, and accessing social media platforms.

Sources

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