| Recurring |
|
(a) The software failure incident related to internet outages in North Korea does not indicate a similar incident happening again within the same organization or with its products and services. The incident in North Korea was attributed to denial-of-service attacks and routing instabilities, rather than a recurring software failure within the organization itself [56266].
(b) The incident in North Korea involving internet outages due to denial-of-service attacks and routing instabilities does not directly indicate a similar incident happening again at other organizations or with their products and services. The nature of the incident, such as the targeted denial-of-service attacks, was specific to the situation in North Korea and not necessarily indicative of a widespread issue affecting multiple organizations [56266]. |
| Phase (Design/Operation) |
design, operation |
(a) The software failure incident related to the design phase can be attributed to the denial-of-service attacks aimed at North Korea's infrastructure. Internet technology service Arbor Networks detected these attacks starting on Saturday and persisting on Monday, which tie up a target's internet equipment until the attacks stop or the spurious traffic can be filtered and discarded to allow normal connections to resume [56266].
(b) The software failure incident related to the operation phase can be seen in the statement by Doug Madory, the director of internet analysis at Dyn, who mentioned that the problems with North Korea's internet connectivity grew progressively worse until the country went "totally down." He suggested that a router suffering a software glitch or a cyber-attack involving North Korea's internet service could be potential reasons for the outage, indicating issues related to the operation or functioning of the system [56266]. |
| Boundary (Internal/External) |
within_system, outside_system |
(a) within_system: The software failure incident in North Korea, where the country experienced internet outages, could potentially be attributed to factors originating from within the system. The article mentions the possibility of a router suffering a software glitch as a benign explanation for the problem [56266]. Additionally, the article discusses how routing instabilities are not uncommon but highlights that this particular outage was prolonged and worsened over time, indicating a deviation from a typical routing problem and suggesting an internal issue within the system [56266].
(b) outside_system: The software failure incident in North Korea, particularly the internet outages, could also be linked to contributing factors originating from outside the system. The article mentions denial-of-service attacks aimed at North Korea's infrastructure, which tie up the target's internet equipment until the attacks stop or the spurious traffic can be filtered and discarded to allow normal connections to resume [56266]. This external attack on the system from outside sources could have played a significant role in the software failure incident. |
| Nature (Human/Non-human) |
non-human_actions, human_actions |
(a) The software failure incident in North Korea was potentially due to non-human actions, specifically denial-of-service attacks aimed at North Korea's infrastructure [56266]. These attacks tie up a target's internet equipment, overwhelming it until the attacks stop or the spurious traffic can be filtered and discarded to allow normal connections to resume. Additionally, the incident was characterized by routing instabilities that were not common, with the outage getting progressively worse over time, indicating a potential non-human cause [56266].
(b) The software failure incident in North Korea could also be attributed to human actions, particularly in the context of the tensions over the hacking of Sony Pictures and the cancellation of The Interview movie. The US government was considering responses to the cyber vandalism attributed to North Korea, but it was not immediately clear if North Korea's internet connectivity problems were in retribution [56266]. This suggests that human actions and decisions in the geopolitical realm could have played a role in the software failure incident. |
| Dimension (Hardware/Software) |
hardware, software |
(a) The software failure incident occurring due to hardware:
- The article mentions a possible benign explanation for the internet outage being a router suffering a software glitch [56266].
- The director of internet analysis at Dyn, Doug Madory, suggested that a router suffering a software glitch could be a benign explanation for the problem [56266].
(b) The software failure incident occurring due to software:
- The article discusses the possibility of a cyber-attack involving North Korea's internet service as a potential cause for the internet outage [56266].
- The director of security research at Arbor Networks, Dan Holden, mentioned that it would be relatively simple for hacktivists to shut down North Korea's online access due to their limited connectivity and lack of internet sophistication [56266]. |
| Objective (Malicious/Non-malicious) |
malicious, non-malicious |
(a) The software failure incident in North Korea, where the country experienced sweeping internet outages, was suspected to be a result of a malicious attack. Internet technology service Arbor Networks detected denial-of-service attacks aimed at North Korea's infrastructure, which tie up a target's internet equipment until the attacks stop or the spurious traffic can be filtered and discarded [56266].
(b) On the other hand, there was also a mention of a benign explanation for the problem, such as a router suffering a software glitch, which could be considered a non-malicious contributing factor to the software failure incident [56266]. |
| Intent (Poor/Accidental Decisions) |
unknown |
(a) The software failure incident related to the internet outages in North Korea was not due to poor decisions but rather potentially due to intentional denial-of-service attacks aimed at North Korea's infrastructure [56266]. The incident involved deliberate actions by external entities rather than poor decisions made by the North Korean government. |
| Capability (Incompetence/Accidental) |
development_incompetence, accidental |
(a) The software failure incident in North Korea, where the country experienced internet outages, could potentially be linked to development incompetence. The article mentions that North Korea has limited connectivity and lacks internet sophistication, making it relatively simple for hacktivists to shut down online access. Dan Holden, the director of security research at Arbor Networks, stated that anyone upset because they couldn't watch a movie could potentially disrupt North Korea's internet, indicating a lack of robustness in their internet infrastructure [56266].
(b) The software failure incident could also be accidental in nature. Doug Madory, the director of internet analysis at Dyn, mentioned that one benign explanation for the problem could be a router suffering a software glitch. He also highlighted that routing instabilities were not uncommon, but this particular outage was prolonged and worsened over time, indicating an unexpected and accidental nature of the incident [56266]. |
| Duration |
temporary |
The software failure incident reported in the articles was temporary. The internet outages experienced by North Korea were described as progressively worse, with the country's online access going "totally down" at one stage [56266]. The incident involved denial-of-service attacks aimed at North Korea's infrastructure, which tie up a target's internet equipment until the attacks stop or the spurious traffic can be filtered and discarded to allow normal connections to resume [56266]. Additionally, the problems were discovered over the weekend and grew progressively worse until North Korea went "totally down" [56266]. This indicates that the software failure incident was temporary and not permanent. |
| Behaviour |
crash |
(a) crash: The software failure incident in North Korea was described as the country's online access going "totally down" [56266]. This indicates a crash where the system lost its state and was not performing any of its intended functions. |