Published Date: 2015-07-27
| Postmortem Analysis | |
|---|---|
| Timeline | 1. The software failure incident related to the Stagefright vulnerability in Android occurred in July 2015 [Article 38011, Article 38229]. 2. The incident can be estimated to have happened in July 2015 based on the publication dates of the articles reporting on the vulnerability. |
| System | 1. Android operating system versions from 2.3 to 5.1.1 [39008] 2. Stagefright vulnerability in Android [39008, 42504, 38011, 38229] |
| Responsible Organization | 1. Security research firm Trend Micro discovered a new vulnerability in how videos are handled in Android, which could allow a hacker to run their own code on mobile devices [39008]. 2. Israel-based security firm NorthBit claimed to exploit the Stagefright bug, labeling it as the 'worst ever discovered' in Google's Android operating system [42504]. 3. Researchers at Zimperium identified vulnerabilities in Android media playback software, leading to the discovery of the Stagefright bug [42504, 38229]. 4. Google was responsible for releasing patches to address the vulnerabilities in Android, but there were delays in making the patches available to end-users due to the handset ecosystem [39008, 42504, 38011, 38229]. 5. Various entities, including Google, mobile phone manufacturers, and telecom companies like AT&T and Verizon, were involved in the distribution of security patches to Android devices, contributing to the fragmentation of the update process [38011]. |
| Impacted Organization | 1. Android users were impacted by the software failure incidents reported in the news articles [39008, 42504, 38011, 38229]. |
| Software Causes | 1. The software cause of the failure incident was a vulnerability in how videos are handled in Android, allowing hackers to run their own code on mobile devices [39008]. 2. The failure incident was caused by a notorious Android bug known as Stagefright, which allowed cybercriminals to hack Android smartphones by tricking users into visiting a hacker's web page containing a malicious multimedia file [42504]. 3. The failure incident was due to a vulnerability in Android's system that allowed phones to be infected by simply receiving a photo in a text message, affecting an estimated 950 million phones worldwide [38011, 38229]. |
| Non-software Causes | 1. Lack of timely patch distribution by handset ecosystem partners [39008, 42504] 2. Fragmented system of software updates due to involvement of multiple entities like phone manufacturers and carriers [38011] |
| Impacts | 1. The software failure incident involving the Stagefright vulnerability in Android had significant impacts on mobile devices. The vulnerability allowed hackers to run their own code on mobile devices, potentially compromising the privacy and security of users [39008]. 2. The Stagefright bug, also known as Metaphor, had the potential to infect one billion Android handsets, enabling cybercriminals to hack an Android smartphone in less than 10 seconds. This bug allowed attackers to gain control of a device, access personal information, copy data, and use the microphone and camera [42504]. 3. The vulnerability in Android's Stagefright affected an estimated 950 million devices globally, which accounted for 95% of Android phones in use at the time. The flaw allowed attackers to infect phones by sending a malicious multimedia file, leading to potential data breaches and privacy violations [38011, 38229]. |
| Preventions | 1. Timely Patch Releases: The software failure incidents related to the Stagefright vulnerabilities in Android could have been prevented if Google had released patches promptly after being notified about the vulnerabilities by security researchers [39008, 42504, 38011, 38229]. 2. Faster Distribution of Updates: To prevent widespread exploitation of vulnerabilities, Google could have worked on improving the distribution process of software updates to Android devices by collaborating more efficiently with manufacturers and carriers [38011, 38229]. 3. Enhanced Security Testing: Conducting thorough security testing during the development phase of Android versions could have helped in identifying and addressing vulnerabilities like Stagefright before they became widespread issues [39008, 42504, 38011, 38229]. |
| Fixes | 1. Google released a security patch for the Stagefright vulnerability in Android, specifically for the issue CVE-2015-3864, which protected devices with a security patch level of October 1, 2015, or greater [Article 42504]. 2. Zimperium, a cybersecurity company specializing in mobile devices, identified the vulnerability and notified Google about it on April 9th. They offered a way to fix the issue, and Google responded the next day, assuring that a patch would be distributed to users in the future [Article 38011]. 3. Google acknowledged the vulnerability and stated that they have ways to limit a hacker's access by separating applications from the phone's functions. However, hackers have been able to bypass these limitations in the past. Google sent the patch to its partners, but it was unclear if any of them had started distributing it to their customers [Article 38011]. | References | 1. Trend Micro - Security research firm [39008] 2. NorthBit - Israel-based security firm [42504] 3. Zimperium - Mobile security researchers [42504, 38011, 38229] 4. Google - Android Security Team [42504, 38011, 38229] |
| Category | Option | Rationale |
|---|---|---|
| Recurring | one_organization, multiple_organization | (a) The software failure incident having happened again at one_organization: - The Stagefright vulnerability in Android has resurfaced multiple times. Trend Micro discovered a new vulnerability in how videos are handled in Android, similar to the flaw in Stagefright [39008]. - The Stagefright bug, also known as Metaphor, has made a comeback for a third time, allowing cybercriminals to hack Android smartphones. An Israel-based security firm called NorthBit claimed to exploit the Stagefright bug, labeling it as the worst ever discovered in Google's Android operating system [42504]. (b) The software failure incident having happened again at multiple_organization: - The Stagefright vulnerability in Android has affected a wide range of devices, with nearly every version of Android still in use being vulnerable [39008]. - The Stagefright vulnerability discovered by Zimperium was considered one of the worst vulnerabilities in Android, affecting an estimated 950 million devices. The flaw was described as extremely dangerous and did not require any action from the victim to be exploited [38229]. |
| Phase (Design/Operation) | design, operation | (a) The software failure incident occurring due to the development phases: - Article 39008 reports on a new vulnerability in how videos are handled in Android, allowing a hacker to run their own code on mobile devices. The vulnerability was discovered by Trend Micro, and they waited for Google to release a patch before announcing their discovery. The patch was not yet available for end-users, indicating a failure in the design phase of system development [39008]. - Article 42504 discusses the Stagefright bug, which is a massive security flaw in Google's Android software. The bug allows an attacker complete control of a handset, enabling them to copy data, take over the microphone and camera, and access personal information. Despite the bug being identified by security researchers at Zimperium, it affected a large number of Android devices, highlighting a failure in the design phase of system development [42504]. (b) The software failure incident occurring due to the operation phases: - Article 38011 describes a severe security flaw in Android that allows phones to be infected by simply receiving a photo in a text message. The flaw affects an estimated 950 million phones worldwide and arises from the way Android phones automatically process multimedia files in messages. This vulnerability, which Google acknowledged, showcases a failure in the operation phase of system usage or maintenance [38011]. - Article 38229 reports on a vulnerability in the Android system that allows a cell phone to be infected by receiving just one message. Attackers could exploit this coding error by sending a message with a photo or video to a smartphone, without the recipient needing to open it. This vulnerability in the Stagefright component of Android is considered extremely dangerous and affects a significant number of devices, indicating a failure in the operation phase of system usage [38229]. |
| Boundary (Internal/External) | within_system, outside_system | (a) within_system: - The software failure incident related to the Stagefright vulnerability in Android was a result of contributing factors that originated from within the system itself. The vulnerability allowed attackers to exploit how videos are handled in Android, enabling them to run their own code on mobile devices [39008]. - The Stagefright vulnerability in Android was described as a massive security flaw within Google's Android software, affecting a large number of handsets. The bug gave attackers complete control of a handset, allowing them to copy data, take over the microphone and camera, and access personal information [42504]. - Researchers discovered a vulnerability in the Android system that allowed a phone to be infected by simply receiving a message with a photo or video. The vulnerability affected a part of Android called Stagefright, which allowed malicious code to access data and applications on the phone [38229]. (b) outside_system: - The software failure incident was exacerbated by external factors such as the fragmented distribution system of Android updates. Google's system of distributing updates involved multiple entities like phone carriers and manufacturers, which slowed down the process of releasing patches to end-users [38011]. - The delay in patch availability for the Stagefright vulnerability was partly due to the need for cooperation and coordination among various entities involved in the distribution of Android updates, including phone carriers and manufacturers [42504]. - The vulnerability in Android's Stagefright was highlighted as a critical security issue that affected a significant number of Android devices worldwide. The delay in patch availability was attributed to the challenges in distributing updates efficiently across the fragmented Android ecosystem [38011]. |
| Nature (Human/Non-human) | non-human_actions, human_actions | (a) The software failure incident occurring due to non-human actions: - The Stagefright vulnerability in Android was a significant software failure incident caused by non-human actions. This vulnerability allowed hackers to exploit how videos are handled in Android, enabling them to run their own code on mobile devices without human participation [39008, 42504, 38229]. (b) The software failure incident occurring due to human actions: - The delay in releasing patches to fix the Stagefright vulnerability in Android was a software failure incident caused by human actions. Despite security researchers notifying Google about the vulnerability and offering a fix, the patch was not made available to end-users promptly, leading to a delay in addressing the issue [39008, 42504, 38229]. |
| Dimension (Hardware/Software) | hardware, software | (a) The software failure incident occurring due to hardware: - The Stagefright vulnerability in Android was a software failure incident that allowed cybercriminals to hack Android smartphones by exploiting vulnerabilities in how videos are handled [39008, 42504]. - The vulnerability in Stagefright allowed attackers to run their own code on mobile devices by exploiting weaknesses in the mediaserver component, which deals with media-related tasks like taking pictures and recording videos [39008]. - The Stagefright bug could infect Android smartphones with malicious multimedia files, leading to the compromise of personal information, data copying, and unauthorized access to the microphone and camera [42504]. - The vulnerability in Stagefright was considered one of the worst Android vulnerabilities in mobile OS history, affecting a large number of handsets [42504]. - The Stagefright bug gave attackers complete control of a handset, allowing them to copy data, take over the microphone and camera, and execute code on the device [42504]. (b) The software failure incident occurring due to software: - The Stagefright vulnerability in Android was a software failure incident that allowed hackers to run their own code on mobile devices by exploiting vulnerabilities in how videos are handled [39008, 42504]. - The vulnerability in Stagefright was related to how Android handled multimedia files, allowing attackers to execute code with the same permissions as the mediaserver program [39008]. - The Stagefright bug was a massive security flaw in Google's Android software, affecting a significant number of handsets and giving attackers complete control of a handset [42504]. - The vulnerability in Stagefright was exploited by sending malicious multimedia files to devices, triggering the execution of code that could compromise the device's security [42504]. - The Stagefright bug was considered one of the worst Android vulnerabilities, allowing cybercriminals to hack Android smartphones in a short amount of time [42504]. |
| Objective (Malicious/Non-malicious) | malicious, non-malicious | (a) The software failure incident related to the Stagefright vulnerability in Android can be categorized as malicious. The vulnerability allowed attackers to exploit the system by sending malicious multimedia files that could infect Android smartphones without the user needing to open the message [42504]. The vulnerability was considered one of the worst in Android history, with the potential to infect one billion handsets and give attackers complete control over the devices [42504]. The exploit was demonstrated by security researchers, showing how quickly a device could be hacked using the Stagefright bug [42504]. (b) The software failure incident can also be categorized as non-malicious as it was a vulnerability in the Android system that allowed for the automatic processing of multimedia files in messages, leading to potential infections without user interaction [38011]. The vulnerability in the Stagefright component of Android was discovered by security researchers, who highlighted the danger posed by the flaw affecting an estimated 950 million devices [38011]. Despite being a non-malicious flaw, the severity of the vulnerability was emphasized due to the ease with which attackers could exploit it without any action required from the user [38229]. |
| Intent (Poor/Accidental Decisions) | poor_decisions, accidental_decisions | (a) The software failure incident related to the Stagefright vulnerability in Android can be attributed to poor decisions made in the software development and patching process. The vulnerability allowed hackers to exploit the way Android devices processed multimedia files, leading to potential security breaches. Despite being aware of the vulnerability, there were delays in releasing patches to address the issue, leaving millions of devices vulnerable [39008, 42504, 38011, 38229]. (b) The software failure incident related to the Stagefright vulnerability in Android can also be attributed to accidental decisions or unintended consequences. The vulnerability was not intentionally created but rather stemmed from flaws in the software code that allowed attackers to exploit the system. Additionally, the delay in patching the vulnerability may have been unintentional due to the complexities of the Android ecosystem involving multiple entities responsible for distributing updates [39008, 42504, 38011, 38229]. |
| Capability (Incompetence/Accidental) | development_incompetence | (a) The software failure incident occurring due to development incompetence: - Article 39008 reports on a new vulnerability in how videos are handled in Android, allowing a hacker to run their own code on mobile devices. The vulnerability affects nearly every version of Android still in use, and the researchers waited for Google to release a patch before announcing their discovery. However, the patch was not yet available for end-users due to the time it takes to filter down through the handset ecosystem [39008]. - Article 38229 discusses a vulnerability in the Android operating system called Stagefright, which allows a cell phone to be infected by simply sending a message with a photo or video. The vulnerability affects a part of Android called Stagefright, allowing a malicious code to access data and applications stored on the phone. Google produced a patch for the problem, but millions of devices need to update their software to benefit from the fix. The researchers from Zimperium described the flaw as "extremely dangerous" and estimated it affects 950 million devices [38229]. (b) The software failure incident occurring accidentally: - The articles do not specifically mention the software failure incident occurring accidentally. |
| Duration | permanent, temporary | (a) The software failure incident related to the Stagefright vulnerability in Android can be considered as a permanent failure. The vulnerability was discovered multiple times over the years, with new versions of the Stagefright bug being identified and exploited by cybercriminals [42504]. The vulnerability affected a significant number of Android devices, with estimates suggesting that it could impact up to one billion handsets [42504]. Despite patches being released by Google to address the issue, the nature of the vulnerability and the widespread use of affected Android versions indicate that the impact of the Stagefright vulnerability was long-lasting and pervasive. (b) The software failure incident related to the Stagefright vulnerability in Android can also be considered as a temporary failure in some aspects. For example, in the initial stages of discovery, patches were not immediately available for end-users due to the time it takes for updates to reach all devices through the handset ecosystem [39008]. Additionally, while Google released patches for the Stagefright vulnerability, the distribution of these patches to all affected devices depended on manufacturers and carriers, leading to delays in some cases [42504]. This delay in patch distribution highlights a temporary aspect of the failure, where the vulnerability persisted until the necessary updates were applied to all devices. |
| Behaviour | crash, omission, value, byzantine, other | (a) crash: The Stagefright vulnerability in Android allowed attackers to run their own code on mobile devices, potentially leading to a crash or system losing state [39008, 42504]. (b) omission: The Stagefright vulnerability in Android allowed attackers to exploit the system by sending a malicious multimedia file that could infect a phone without the user needing to open it, indicating an omission in performing intended functions [42504, 38229]. (c) timing: The Stagefright vulnerability in Android allowed attackers to hack a smartphone in less than 10 seconds, indicating a timing issue where the system performed its intended functions too quickly for security measures to prevent the attack [42504]. (d) value: The Stagefright vulnerability in Android allowed attackers to gain control of a device, access personal information, copy data, and use the microphone and camera, indicating a failure in performing intended functions correctly [42504]. (e) byzantine: The Stagefright vulnerability in Android exhibited byzantine behavior as attackers could exploit the system with inconsistent responses and interactions, potentially leading to complete control of the device [42504]. (f) other: The Stagefright vulnerability in Android showcased a severe security flaw that could infect phones with malware by simply receiving a message, leading to potential data breaches and privacy violations [38011]. |
| Layer | Option | Rationale |
|---|---|---|
| Perception | None | None |
| Communication | None | None |
| Application | None | None |
| Category | Option | Rationale |
|---|---|---|
| Consequence | non-human | (a) death: People lost their lives due to the software failure - There is no mention of any deaths caused by the software failure incidents reported in the articles. (b) harm: People were physically harmed due to the software failure - The articles do not mention any physical harm caused to individuals due to the software failures. (c) basic: People's access to food or shelter was impacted because of the software failure - There is no mention of people's access to food or shelter being impacted by the software failures. (d) property: People's material goods, money, or data was impacted due to the software failure - The software failures mentioned in the articles could potentially lead to unauthorized access to personal information, copying of data, and control over device functions, but there is no specific mention of people losing material goods, money, or data directly due to the software failures. (e) delay: People had to postpone an activity due to the software failure - The articles do not mention any activities being postponed due to the software failures. (f) non-human: Non-human entities were impacted due to the software failure - The software failures mentioned in the articles primarily affect Android devices and their vulnerabilities, so the impact is on the devices themselves rather than non-human entities. (g) no_consequence: There were no real observed consequences of the software failure - The articles clearly describe the potential risks and consequences of the software failures, such as unauthorized access to devices, data theft, and control over device functions, indicating there are real consequences observed. (h) theoretical_consequence: There were potential consequences discussed of the software failure that did not occur - The articles discuss potential consequences such as unauthorized access to personal information, control over device functions, and data theft, but there is no mention of these consequences not occurring. (i) other: Was there consequence(s) of the software failure not described in the (a to h) options? What is the other consequence(s)? - The articles primarily focus on the potential risks and consequences of the software failures, such as unauthorized access to devices, data theft, and control over device functions. |
| Domain | information | (a) The software failure incident mentioned in the articles is related to the information industry, specifically affecting Android devices handling media files and messages [39008, 42504, 38011, 38229]. |
Article ID: 39008
Article ID: 42504
Article ID: 38011
Article ID: 38229