Incident: Google Apps Bug Exposed Users' Private Information for Years

Published Date: 2015-03-13

Postmortem Analysis
Timeline 1. The software failure incident happened from mid-2013 till just a few weeks ago [34565]. Therefore, the software failure incident occurred from mid-2013 to early 2015.
System 1. Google Apps for Work 2. Google Domains 3. eNom domain registration API [34565]
Responsible Organization 1. Google Apps for Work software 2. eNom privacy provider 3. Talos Security Intelligence and Research Group 4. Cisco Systems
Impacted Organization 1. Users who registered a domain through Google Apps for Work [34565]
Software Causes 1. The software cause of the failure incident was a defect in the Google Apps product that failed to maintain the privacy settings of users who had opted to keep their registration information hidden [34565].
Non-software Causes 1. Lack of proper oversight in the domain registration renewal process, leading to privacy requests being overlooked [34565].
Impacts 1. Personal information of users who opted for privacy through Google Apps for Work was exposed for nearly two years, potentially affecting over 280,000 domains [Article 34565]. 2. The exposed information included names, addresses, phone numbers, and email addresses, which could be used for malicious purposes such as spear phishing attacks [Article 34565]. 3. The bug in Google Apps for Work affected users who renewed their registration, causing their privacy settings to be overridden and their information to be left on the internet permanently [Article 34565]. 4. The incident raised concerns about identity theft, spam emails, phishing attempts, and the misuse of personal information by threat actors [Article 34565]. 5. Google confirmed the bug, addressed the issue, and restored the affected domains to private status, ensuring that customer renewals would not be impacted in the future [Article 34565].
Preventions 1. Regular security audits and vulnerability assessments could have potentially identified the bug in Google Apps for Work that led to the exposure of users' personal information [34565]. 2. Implementing stricter testing protocols during the development and deployment phases of the software could have helped catch the privacy request glitch before it affected a large number of users [34565]. 3. Enhanced monitoring and alert systems to detect any anomalies in the handling of private user data within Google Apps for Work could have provided early warnings about the issue [34565].
Fixes 1. Implement a thorough review process for privacy settings and data handling mechanisms within Google Apps for Work to ensure that user preferences are accurately maintained during domain registration renewals [34565].
References 1. Talos Security Intelligence and Research Group [Article 34565]

Software Taxonomy of Faults

Category Option Rationale
Recurring one_organization (a) The software failure incident related to the exposure of users' personal information due to a bug in Google Apps for Work has happened again within the same organization. The incident involved a glitch in Google's business software that exposed some users' personal information for nearly two years [34565]. Google confirmed that a bug was discovered by Talos and subsequently addressed, leading to the exposure of domain-registration information [34565]. (b) There is no information in the provided article about a similar incident happening at other organizations or with their products and services.
Phase (Design/Operation) design (a) The software failure incident in Article 34565 occurred due to a design flaw in Google Apps for Work. Despite users opting to keep their personal information private, a defect in the product caused their information to be exposed when they renewed their registration. This design flaw led to the exposure of personal data for nearly two years until it was discovered and fixed by Google [34565]. (b) The software failure incident in Article 34565 did not specifically mention any failure due to operation or misuse of the system. The primary cause of the incident was identified as a design flaw in the Google Apps for Work product that exposed users' personal information.
Boundary (Internal/External) within_system (a) The software failure incident in this case was primarily within the system. The glitch in Google Apps for Work, a collection of Google's online services tailored for businesses, caused personal information of users who opted for privacy to be exposed for nearly two years [34565]. The defect in the Google Apps product led to the privacy requests falling by the wayside when users renewed their registration, resulting in the personal information being left exposed on the Internet [34565]. The issue originated from a bug within the Google Apps system, affecting a significant number of domains and users who had chosen to keep their registration information private.
Nature (Human/Non-human) non-human_actions, human_actions (a) The software failure incident in this case was due to non-human actions, specifically a defect in the Google Apps product that caused users' personal information to be exposed despite their privacy settings. The glitch in Google's business software allowed the personal information to remain public when users renewed their registration, even though they had opted for privacy [34565]. The bug was discovered by security researchers and subsequently addressed by Google after being reported through their Vulnerability Rewards Program. The root cause was identified and appropriate fixes were made to resolve the issue [34565]. (b) Human actions were involved in the resolution of the software failure incident. After the bug was reported by security researchers, Google identified the root cause, made the necessary fixes, and communicated with affected Apps customers to address the issue. A Google spokesman confirmed the bug and the actions taken to resolve it, indicating human intervention in the resolution process [34565].
Dimension (Hardware/Software) software (a) The software failure incident in Article 34565 was not attributed to hardware issues. The incident was specifically related to a bug in Google Apps for Work that caused users' personal information to be exposed despite their privacy settings [34565]. (b) The software failure incident in Article 34565 was due to a bug in the Google Apps product, which led to the exposure of users' personal information for nearly two years. The bug caused the privacy settings of users who opted to keep their registration information hidden to be disregarded when renewing their registration, resulting in the personal data being left exposed on the internet. This software bug was identified by security researchers and subsequently addressed by Google [34565].
Objective (Malicious/Non-malicious) non-malicious (a) The software failure incident in Article 34565 was non-malicious. The incident was caused by a defect in Google Apps for Work that led to the exposure of users' personal information due to a bug in the system. The bug resulted in the personal information of users who opted for privacy being left exposed on the internet for nearly two years. The exposure was not intentional and was a result of a flaw in the software system, rather than a malicious act by an individual or group [34565].
Intent (Poor/Accidental Decisions) poor_decisions (a) The software failure incident related to the Google Apps bug exposing users' personal information for nearly two years can be attributed to poor decisions. The incident occurred due to a defect in the Google Apps product that caused users' private registration information to be exposed when they renewed their registration, despite opting for privacy [34565]. This failure was a result of a flaw in the system design and implementation, indicating a poor decision in the development and maintenance of the software.
Capability (Incompetence/Accidental) accidental (a) The software failure incident in Article 34565 was not explicitly attributed to development incompetence. The incident was described as a bug in Google Apps for Work that caused users' personal information to be exposed despite their privacy settings. The bug allowed the personal information to remain public for nearly two years before being fixed. (b) The software failure incident in Article 34565 was categorized as accidental. The exposure of users' personal information was due to a defect in the Google Apps product that caused the privacy settings to be bypassed when users renewed their domain registrations. This accidental flaw led to the personal information being left exposed on the internet for an extended period until it was discovered and addressed by security researchers.
Duration temporary The software failure incident described in Article 34565 was temporary. The glitch in Google's business software exposed some users' personal information for nearly two years, from mid-2013 until just a few weeks ago when the bug was discovered and addressed by Google [34565]. The incident was not permanent as it was eventually resolved, and the affected domains are now back to being private with assurances from Google that the issue will not affect any customer renewals in the future.
Behaviour crash, omission, timing, value, other (a) crash: The software failure incident in the article can be categorized as a crash. The glitch in Google's business software led to the exposure of some users' personal information for nearly two years, despite those users opting to keep the data private. This indicates a failure of the system to maintain its intended state and protect user privacy, resulting in a crash of the privacy feature [34565]. (b) omission: The incident can also be categorized as an omission. Users who had opted for privacy in their domain registration information through Google Apps for Work had their privacy request omitted when renewing their registration. This omission led to the exposure of personal information that was supposed to be kept private, indicating a failure of the system to perform its intended function of maintaining user privacy settings [34565]. (c) timing: The timing of the software failure incident can be considered as a factor in the exposure of personal information. The bug in the Google Apps product left information exposed from mid-2013 until just a few weeks ago when it was discovered and addressed. This indicates a timing failure where the system performed its intended functions incorrectly for an extended period before the issue was rectified [34565]. (d) value: The incident can be categorized as a value failure. The software failure led to the incorrect performance of the system's function related to maintaining the privacy of user domain registration information. Despite users opting for privacy, the system failed to uphold this value, resulting in the exposure of personal data that should have been kept confidential [34565]. (e) byzantine: The software failure incident does not exhibit characteristics of a byzantine failure where the system behaves erroneously with inconsistent responses and interactions. The incident primarily revolves around a bug in the Google Apps product that led to the exposure of personal information due to a failure in maintaining user privacy settings, rather than exhibiting inconsistent or conflicting behaviors [34565]. (f) other: The other behavior exhibited by the software failure incident is a failure in data protection. The incident highlights a failure of the system to adequately protect and secure user data, leading to the exposure of personal information that should have been kept private. This failure in data protection is a critical aspect of the software failure incident [34565].

IoT System Layer

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

Other Details

Category Option Rationale
Consequence property, theoretical_consequence (d) property: People's material goods, money, or data was impacted due to the software failure The software failure incident involving Google Apps for Work exposed some users' personal information, including names, addresses, phone numbers, and email addresses, for nearly two years. This exposure occurred despite users opting to keep their data private. The bug in the Google Apps product led to the personal information being left on the internet for an extended period, potentially exposing individuals to risks such as phishing attempts and identity theft. The incident affected a significant number of domain owners who had chosen to go anonymous, highlighting the impact on individuals' data privacy and security [34565].
Domain information (a) The software failure incident related to the Google Apps bug affected the industry of information production and distribution. The glitch in Google's business software exposed some users' personal information, including names, addresses, phone numbers, and email addresses, for nearly two years [Article 34565]. This incident highlights the importance of safeguarding personal information in the digital realm, especially in the context of online services tailored for businesses like Google Apps for Work.

Sources

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