| Recurring |
one_organization |
(a) The software failure incident related to the Mail client bug in iOS has happened again within the same organization, Apple. The bug was discovered by a researcher in the Mail client on iOS, leaving users vulnerable to hackers. Despite being identified in January, Apple failed to fix the flaw, and the bug persisted in the software even after iOS updates following 8.1.2. The incident highlights a recurring issue within Apple's software development and security processes [36804].
(b) There is no information in the provided article about the software failure incident happening again at other organizations or with their products and services. |
| Phase (Design/Operation) |
design |
(a) The software failure incident in the article is related to the design phase. The bug in the Mail client on iOS that left users vulnerable to hackers was a result of a flaw in the software that allowed remote HTML content to be loaded and let hackers replace the content of the original email. This flaw was present in the software since at least January and was not fixed by Apple despite being brought to their attention by a researcher [36804].
(b) The software failure incident in the article is not related to the operation phase or misuse of the system. |
| Boundary (Internal/External) |
within_system |
(a) The software failure incident in the article is within_system. The bug in the Mail client on iOS that leaves users vulnerable to hackers was discovered by a researcher and has been present in the software since at least January [36804]. The failure originated from within the system itself, specifically within the Mail client on iOS. |
| Nature (Human/Non-human) |
non-human_actions, human_actions |
(a) The software failure incident in the article was due to non-human actions, specifically a bug in the Mail client on iOS that allowed remote HTML content to be loaded and let hackers replace the content of the original email. This bug was present in the software since at least January and was not fixed by Apple despite being brought to their attention by a researcher [36804].
(b) The failure to fix the bug in the Mail client on iOS, which left users vulnerable to hackers, was due to human actions. Despite the bug being discovered by a researcher in January and a 'proof-of-concept' code being published to bring it to Apple's attention, the fix was not delivered in any of the iOS updates following 8.1.2. This delay in addressing the security flaw was a result of human decisions and actions within Apple's software development and update processes [36804]. |
| Dimension (Hardware/Software) |
software |
(a) The software failure incident related to hardware:
- The incident reported in the article does not mention any hardware-related issues contributing to the software failure. It primarily focuses on a bug in the Mail client on iOS that leaves users vulnerable to hackers [36804].
(b) The software failure incident related to software:
- The software failure incident discussed in the article is specifically related to a bug in the Mail client on iOS that allows remote HTML content to be loaded, enabling hackers to replace the content of the original email and create fake login screens to steal passwords. This software failure originates from a flaw in the software itself, as the Mail app fails to ignore the HTML tag in emails, leaving it exposed to exploitation [36804]. |
| Objective (Malicious/Non-malicious) |
malicious |
(a) The software failure incident in the article is malicious in nature. A bug in the Mail client on iOS was discovered by a researcher, allowing hackers to exploit the flaw to create a fake Apple ID login screen and steal passwords. The bug was intentionally exploited to demonstrate the vulnerability and bring it to Apple's attention [36804]. |
| Intent (Poor/Accidental Decisions) |
poor_decisions |
(a) The intent of the software failure incident related to poor_decisions:
- The software failure incident in the iOS Mail client on Apple devices was due to a bug that allowed remote HTML content to be loaded, enabling hackers to replace the content of the original email and create fake login screens to steal passwords [36804].
- Despite the bug being discovered by a researcher in January, Apple failed to fix the flaw in subsequent iOS updates following 8.1.2, leading to a prolonged period of vulnerability for users [36804].
(b) The intent of the software failure incident related to accidental_decisions:
- The software failure incident was not attributed to accidental decisions but rather to a bug in the Mail client on iOS that left users vulnerable to hackers due to the failure to ignore HTML tags in emails, exposing the system to exploitation [36804]. |
| Capability (Incompetence/Accidental) |
development_incompetence |
(a) The software failure incident in the article can be attributed to development incompetence. The bug in the Mail client on iOS that left users vulnerable to hackers was discovered by a researcher in January, but Apple failed to fix it despite being aware of the issue. The bug allowed remote HTML content to be loaded, enabling hackers to replace the content of the original email and create fake login screens to steal passwords. The researcher even published a 'proof-of-concept' code to draw attention to the flaw, indicating a lack of prompt action by Apple to address the security vulnerability [36804].
(b) The software failure incident does not seem to be accidental, as it was a result of a known bug in the Mail client on iOS that was exploited by a researcher intentionally to demonstrate the security vulnerability. The incident was not a random occurrence but rather a consequence of the identified bug that was not addressed promptly by Apple [36804]. |
| Duration |
temporary |
The software failure incident described in the articles can be categorized as a temporary failure. The bug in the Mail client on iOS, which allowed hackers to exploit it and create fake login screens to steal passwords, was discovered by a researcher in January [36804]. Despite the researcher's efforts to bring it to Apple's attention and the public disclosure of the proof-of-concept code, Apple had not fixed the flaw in any of the iOS updates following 8.1.2. However, Apple mentioned that they are working on a fix for an upcoming software update, indicating that the failure is temporary and can be resolved with a software update [36804]. |
| Behaviour |
value |
(a) crash: The software failure incident described in the articles does not involve a crash where the system loses state and does not perform any of its intended functions. The incident is more related to a security vulnerability in the iOS Mail client that allows hackers to exploit the system [36804].
(b) omission: The software failure incident does not involve the system omitting to perform its intended functions at an instance(s). Instead, the vulnerability in the Mail client allows for the manipulation of email content and the creation of fake login screens by hackers [36804].
(c) timing: The software failure incident is not related to the system performing its intended functions too late or too early. The focus is on the security flaw in the Mail client that leaves users vulnerable to attacks [36804].
(d) value: The software failure incident is primarily about the system performing its intended functions incorrectly due to a bug in the Mail client that allows for the loading of remote HTML content and the manipulation of email content by hackers [36804].
(e) byzantine: The software failure incident does not exhibit behavior where the system behaves erroneously with inconsistent responses and interactions. The vulnerability in the Mail client is more about a specific security flaw that can be exploited by hackers [36804].
(f) other: The behavior of the software failure incident can be categorized as a security vulnerability that allows for unauthorized access and manipulation of email content through the exploitation of a bug in the iOS Mail client [36804]. |