| Recurring |
multiple_organization |
The software failure incident related to the Rowhammer technique has been demonstrated by Google researchers, showing how hackers can exploit electromagnetic leakage in memory to gain unintended levels of control over a victim computer [34474]. This incident highlights a fundamental flaw in basic computer hardware that could be challenging to fully patch in existing vulnerable computers. The Google researchers have shown that the Rowhammer hack can allow a "privilege escalation," expanding the attacker's influence beyond a certain fenced-in portion of memory to more sensitive areas. This issue is not specific to Google but affects a broader range of computers using DRAM, indicating a potential vulnerability across multiple organizations and their products and services. |
| Phase (Design/Operation) |
design, operation |
(a) The software failure incident related to the design phase is evident in the article. The incident was caused by a fundamental flaw in basic computer hardware related to electromagnetic leakage in memory, known as the "Rowhammer" technique. This flaw allowed hackers to purposefully corrupt portions of some laptops' memory and bypass security protections. The Google researchers demonstrated how bit flipping caused by electromagnetic leakage could lead to unintended levels of control over a victim computer, showcasing a security vulnerability that stems from the design of the hardware itself [34474].
(b) The software failure incident related to the operation phase is also highlighted in the article. The exploit developed by the Google researchers involved running a program designed to repeatedly access a certain row of transistors in the computer's memory, causing bit flipping through electromagnetic leakage. This operation-based attack allowed the attackers to gain full administrator control of a Linux operating system by corrupting the page table that maps virtual memory addresses to physical memory. The misuse of the system through the Rowhammer technique enabled the attackers to access sensitive portions of memory they weren't meant to access, showcasing a failure introduced during the operation of the system [34474]. |
| Boundary (Internal/External) |
within_system |
The software failure incident described in the articles is primarily within_system. The failure was caused by a fundamental flaw in basic computer hardware related to the Rowhammer technique, where hackers could exploit electromagnetic leakage in DRAM to gain unintended levels of control over a victim computer [34474]. The issue stemmed from the physical properties of the hardware itself, specifically the vulnerability in DRAM, rather than external factors. |
| Nature (Human/Non-human) |
non-human_actions, human_actions |
(a) The software failure incident in the articles is primarily related to non-human actions. The incident involves a vulnerability known as the "Rowhammer" technique, where electromagnetic leakage from memory chips can cause bit flipping and lead to unintended levels of control over a victim computer. This vulnerability is a fundamental flaw in basic computer hardware that could be impossible to fully patch in existing vulnerable computers [34474].
(b) However, human actions are also involved in the sense that hackers can purposefully exploit this hardware vulnerability to corrupt portions of laptops' memory and bypass security protections. The Google researchers demonstrated how they could use the Rowhammer technique to escalate privileges and gain control over sensitive areas of a computer's memory [34474]. |
| Dimension (Hardware/Software) |
hardware, software |
(a) The software failure incident occurring due to hardware:
The incident described in the articles is primarily related to a hardware vulnerability known as the "Rowhammer" technique. This vulnerability arises from a fundamental flaw in basic computer hardware, specifically in Dynamic Random Access Memory (DRAM) used in some laptops. The Rowhammer technique involves exploiting electromagnetic leakage in memory chips to cause bit flipping, where neighboring transistors have their states reversed, leading to unintended control over a victim computer [34474].
(b) The software failure incident occurring due to software:
While the primary cause of the incident is a hardware vulnerability, the exploitation of this vulnerability involves software-based attacks. The Google researchers demonstrated how they could use the Rowhammer technique to gain unintended levels of control over a victim computer, leading to privilege escalation and the ability to bypass security protections. The attacks involved running programs designed to repeatedly access specific memory rows to manipulate memory contents and gain unauthorized access to sensitive areas of the computer's memory [34474]. |
| Objective (Malicious/Non-malicious) |
malicious |
(a) The software failure incident described in the articles is malicious in nature. Google researchers demonstrated a hacker exploit known as the "Rowhammer" technique, which allows hackers to purposefully corrupt portions of some laptops' memory and bypass security protections of those computers [34474]. The exploit involves manipulating the DRAM in laptops by repeatedly accessing a certain row of transistors in the memory, causing bit flipping and allowing the attacker to gain unintended levels of control over a victim computer, including privilege escalation [34474].
The incident showcases a fundamental flaw in basic computer hardware that could be exploited by attackers, highlighting the security implications of electromagnetic leakage in memory [34474]. The researchers were able to gain full administrator control of a Linux operating system by flipping bits in a page table, redirecting the attack program to more sensitive portions of memory it wasn't meant to access [34474]. Additionally, the Rowhammering technique allowed the researchers to escape the "sandbox" in Google's native client, potentially compromising a computer via a malicious website [34474]. |
| Intent (Poor/Accidental Decisions) |
accidental_decisions |
The intent of the software failure incident described in the articles is related to (b) accidental_decisions. The failure was not due to poor decisions but rather to mistakes or unintended decisions that led to the exploitation of a fundamental flaw in basic computer hardware, specifically in Dynamic Random Access Memory (DRAM), by hackers using the "Rowhammer" technique [34474]. The Google researchers discovered and demonstrated how electromagnetic leakage in memory could be exploited to gain unintended levels of control over a victim computer, leading to privilege escalation and bypassing security protections [34474]. The researchers' work highlighted the accidental nature of the vulnerability and the complexity of addressing it, as it is fundamentally a physical world problem rather than a software issue [34474]. |
| Capability (Incompetence/Accidental) |
unknown |
(a) The software failure incident related to development incompetence is not explicitly mentioned in the provided article. The article primarily focuses on a hardware vulnerability known as Rowhammer, which allows hackers to exploit electromagnetic leakage in memory to gain unintended levels of control over a victim computer. The vulnerability is a fundamental flaw in basic computer hardware that could be challenging to fully patch in existing vulnerable computers [34474].
(b) The software failure incident related to accidental factors is also not explicitly mentioned in the provided article. The article discusses how hackers can purposefully corrupt portions of some laptops' memory and bypass security protections by exploiting the Rowhammer technique, which involves electromagnetic leakage causing bit flipping in memory. The exploitation of this vulnerability is not accidental but rather a deliberate attack by hackers [34474]. |
| Duration |
permanent |
The software failure incident described in the articles is more of a permanent nature. The vulnerability known as Rowhammer is a fundamental flaw in basic computer hardware that could be impossible to fully patch in existing vulnerable computers [34474]. The issue arises from a physical flaw in DRAM memory that allows for bit flipping through electromagnetic leakage, which cannot be easily fixed with a software patch. The researchers suggest implementing new protections in memory to prevent such vulnerabilities, indicating a long-term concern rather than a temporary issue. |
| Behaviour |
value, other |
(a) crash: The articles do not mention any instances of a system crash where the system loses state and does not perform any of its intended functions.
(b) omission: The articles do not mention any instances of the system omitting to perform its intended functions at an instance(s).
(c) timing: The articles do not mention any instances of the system performing its intended functions correctly, but too late or too early.
(d) value: The software failure incident described in the articles falls under the category of a value failure. The incident involved hackers exploiting a fundamental flaw in computer hardware to gain unintended levels of control over a victim computer, allowing for privilege escalation and unauthorized access to sensitive areas of the computer's memory [34474].
(e) byzantine: The articles do not mention any instances of the system behaving erroneously with inconsistent responses and interactions.
(f) other: The behavior of the software failure incident described in the articles can be categorized as a security vulnerability exploit. Hackers were able to leverage the Rowhammer technique to manipulate memory bits and gain unauthorized access to sensitive areas of the computer's memory, demonstrating a significant security flaw in basic computer hardware [34474]. |