| Recurring |
one_organization |
(a) The software failure incident related to fingerprint data being vulnerable to theft due to a flaw in the handling of biometric data has happened with Samsung's Galaxy S5 smartphone. The vulnerability allowed hackers to steal copies of fingerprints by exploiting a weakness in the operating system's handling of biometric data [35202].
(b) The software failure incident of fingerprint data vulnerability has not been reported to have happened again at other organizations or with their products and services in the provided article. |
| Phase (Design/Operation) |
design, operation |
(a) The software failure incident related to the design phase is evident in the vulnerability found in the handling of biometric data on Samsung's Galaxy S5 smartphone and other Android devices. Security researchers discovered a flaw in the Android operating system's handling of fingerprint information, where attackers could bypass the secure zone by intercepting data directly from the fingerprint sensor before it reaches the secure zone. This design flaw allowed attackers to reconstruct fingerprints and potentially misuse them [35202].
(b) The software failure incident related to the operation phase is highlighted by the potential exploitation of the fingerprint sensor on Android devices. Attackers could steal fingerprints by reading data directly from the sensor, indicating a failure in the operation or misuse of the system. This operation failure allowed attackers to access sensitive biometric data and potentially compromise user security [35202]. |
| Boundary (Internal/External) |
within_system |
(a) within_system: The software failure incident described in the article is primarily due to a vulnerability within the Android operating system's handling of biometric data. The flaw allowed attackers to read data directly from the fingerprint sensor before it reached the secure zone, enabling them to reconstruct fingerprints and potentially misuse them [35202]. The vulnerability was specific to the Android operating system and how it managed biometric data, indicating an internal system issue.
(b) outside_system: The article does not mention any contributing factors originating from outside the system that led to the software failure incident. |
| Nature (Human/Non-human) |
non-human_actions, human_actions |
(a) The software failure incident related to non-human actions in this case is the vulnerability in the Android operating system's handling of biometric data, specifically the fingerprint sensor. Security researchers discovered that attackers could steal fingerprint data by exploiting a flaw in the system's handling of this sensitive information. The flaw allowed attackers to read the data directly from the fingerprint sensor before it reached the secure zone, enabling them to reconstruct the fingerprint and potentially use it elsewhere [35202].
(b) The software failure incident related to human actions involves the potential for attackers to exploit this vulnerability in the Android operating system. The researchers highlighted that if an attacker could break the kernel, they could read the fingerprint sensor data at any time, allowing them to steal fingerprints. This demonstrates how human actions, specifically malicious intent and exploitation of software vulnerabilities, can lead to security breaches and data theft [35202]. |
| Dimension (Hardware/Software) |
hardware, software |
(a) The software failure incident related to hardware:
- The article mentions a vulnerability in the handling of biometric data on Samsung's Galaxy S5 smartphone and other Android devices. Hackers were able to exploit a weakness in the operating system's handling of biometric data, specifically the fingerprint sensor [35202].
(b) The software failure incident related to software:
- The vulnerability in the software allowed attackers to read the data coming directly from the fingerprint sensor before it reaches the secure zone, enabling them to reconstruct the fingerprint and potentially use it elsewhere. This flaw in the software's handling of biometric data led to the security breach [35202]. |
| Objective (Malicious/Non-malicious) |
malicious, non-malicious |
(a) The software failure incident described in the article is malicious in nature. Security researchers discovered a vulnerability in the Android operating system that allowed attackers to steal copies of fingerprints from Samsung Galaxy S5 smartphones and other Android devices. The attackers exploited a weakness in the handling of biometric data, specifically by focusing on reading the data coming directly from the fingerprint sensor before it reaches the secure zone. This malicious act could potentially lead to the theft of fingerprints and their unauthorized use [35202].
(b) Additionally, the article mentions a non-malicious vulnerability related to Apple's TouchID system, where the fingerprint sensor was shown to be vulnerable to spoofed fingerprints. This non-malicious vulnerability involved the ability to fool the fingerprint sensor using a fake fingerprint printed onto a laminated sheet and stuck to a real finger, highlighting a different type of security weakness in biometric systems [35202]. |
| Intent (Poor/Accidental Decisions) |
poor_decisions |
(a) The intent of the software failure incident related to poor_decisions:
- The software failure incident involving the vulnerability in the handling of biometric data on Samsung's Galaxy S5 smartphone and other Android devices was due to a flaw in the operating system's handling of fingerprint information. The flaw allowed attackers to read the data directly from the fingerprint sensor before it reached the secure zone, enabling them to reconstruct the fingerprint and potentially use it elsewhere [35202].
(b) The intent of the software failure incident related to accidental_decisions:
- The software failure incident involving the vulnerability in the handling of biometric data on Samsung's Galaxy S5 smartphone and other Android devices was not explicitly mentioned to be a result of accidental decisions. The focus was more on the flaw in the system's handling of biometric data that allowed attackers to exploit the fingerprint sensor [35202]. |
| Capability (Incompetence/Accidental) |
development_incompetence, accidental |
(a) The software failure incident related to development incompetence is evident in the article as security researchers discovered a vulnerability in the Android operating system's handling of biometric data on Samsung's Galaxy S5 smartphone and other Android devices. The flaw allowed hackers to steal fingerprint data by exploiting a weakness in the system's security measures. This indicates a lack of professional competence in ensuring the proper protection of sensitive biometric information [35202].
(b) The software failure incident related to accidental factors is demonstrated in the article through the vulnerability found in the Android operating system's handling of fingerprint data. The flaw was not a deliberate introduction but rather an accidental oversight in the system's design, allowing attackers to access the fingerprint sensor data before it reached the secure zone. This accidental flaw led to the potential theft of fingerprint information, highlighting unintended consequences of the system's architecture [35202]. |
| Duration |
temporary |
The software failure incident described in the article [35202] can be categorized as a temporary failure. The vulnerability in the Android operating system's handling of biometric data, specifically the flaw in rendering fingerprint information inaccessible to most apps, allowed hackers to exploit the system and potentially steal fingerprints from devices like the Galaxy S5. However, this vulnerability was addressed and fixed in the newest version of Android, Lollipop, which runs on newer devices like the Galaxy S6. This indicates that the failure was temporary and not permanent, as it was mitigated by implementing a fix in the updated software version. |
| Behaviour |
crash, omission, timing, value, other |
(a) crash: The article mentions a vulnerability in the Android operating system's handling of biometric data that could potentially lead to the theft of fingerprints from devices like the Galaxy S5. This vulnerability could result in a crash if exploited by attackers, as they could steal fingerprint data directly from the sensor before it reaches the secure zone, potentially leading to a system failure [35202].
(b) omission: The vulnerability in the Android system's handling of fingerprint data could also lead to an omission failure. If attackers are able to read the data from the fingerprint sensor before it reaches the secure zone, they could potentially omit the system's intended function of securely storing and protecting biometric data, leading to a failure in maintaining the confidentiality and security of the fingerprint information [35202].
(c) timing: The timing of the software failure incident is not explicitly mentioned in the article. However, the vulnerability in the Android system's handling of biometric data could potentially result in a timing failure if attackers are able to access the fingerprint sensor data at any time, indicating that the system may be performing its intended functions (reading the fingerprint sensor) at the wrong time (before it reaches the secure zone) [35202].
(d) value: The software failure incident described in the article could be categorized under a value failure. If attackers are successful in exploiting the vulnerability and stealing fingerprint data, the system would be performing its intended function of reading the fingerprint sensor but doing so incorrectly by allowing unauthorized access to sensitive biometric information, compromising the value of the security feature [35202].
(e) byzantine: The article does not explicitly mention the software failure incident exhibiting a byzantine behavior, which involves inconsistent responses and interactions. The focus of the vulnerability described is more on the direct theft of fingerprint data rather than erratic or inconsistent system behavior [35202].
(f) other: The other behavior exhibited by the software failure incident in the article is a security vulnerability that allows attackers to bypass biometric security measures by exploiting a flaw in the system's handling of fingerprint data. This behavior could be classified as a security breach or a privacy violation, as it compromises the confidentiality and integrity of sensitive biometric information stored on the device [35202]. |