| Recurring |
unknown |
(a) The software failure incident of hackers gaining entry to Facebook's internal corporate network and compromising employee credentials has not been reported to have happened again within the same organization [42986].
(b) The software failure incident of hackers gaining entry to Facebook's internal corporate network and compromising employee credentials has not been reported to have happened at other organizations or with their products and services [42986]. |
| Phase (Design/Operation) |
design, operation |
(a) The software failure incident in the Facebook hack can be attributed to design factors introduced during system development. The hackers exploited seven security vulnerabilities in Facebook's corporate tools, including a file transfer service, which allowed them to compromise the network and access employee credentials [42986].
(b) Additionally, the incident can also be linked to operational factors as the hackers were able to gain access to Facebook's internal network and employee credentials, potentially compromising email accounts, VPN access, and other company tools. This breach highlights the importance of operational security measures to prevent unauthorized access and misuse of systems [42986]. |
| Boundary (Internal/External) |
within_system |
(a) within_system: The software failure incident in this case was primarily within the system. The hackers gained entry to Facebook's internal corporate network by exploiting security vulnerabilities within Facebook's corporate tools, such as a file transfer service. The hacker created a proxy on the credential page to log the credentials of Facebook employees, indicating a breach within the system itself [42986].
(b) outside_system: There is no explicit mention in the article of the software failure incident being caused by contributing factors originating from outside the system. |
| Nature (Human/Non-human) |
non-human_actions, human_actions |
(a) The software failure incident in this case was primarily due to non-human actions. Hackers gained entry to Facebook's internal corporate network by exploiting security vulnerabilities in Facebook's corporate tools, such as a file transfer service. The hackers created a proxy on the credential page to log the credentials of Facebook employees, allowing them to access email accounts, Facebook's virtual private network, and other company tools [42986].
(b) Human actions also played a role in this software failure incident. The security researcher, Orange Tsai, discovered the security vulnerabilities and strange activities on the web log, leading to the identification of the hack. Additionally, Facebook's Bug Bounty program, which incentivizes researchers to find and disclose vulnerabilities, was part of the process that led to the discovery of the hack [42986]. |
| Dimension (Hardware/Software) |
hardware, software |
(a) The software failure incident related to hardware:
- The incident involved hackers gaining entry to Facebook's internal corporate network, indicating a breach in the network security [Article 42986].
(b) The software failure incident related to software:
- The software failure incident was primarily due to security vulnerabilities in Facebook's corporate tools, including a file transfer service, which allowed hackers to compromise the network [Article 42986]. |
| Objective (Malicious/Non-malicious) |
malicious |
(a) The software failure incident in this case was malicious. Hackers gained entry to Facebook's internal corporate network with the intent to compromise the system and access sensitive information. The hackers actively exploited Facebook's network and created a proxy on the credential page to log the credentials of Facebook employees, indicating a deliberate attempt to harm the system [42986].
(b) The incident was not non-malicious as it involved intentional actions by the hackers to compromise Facebook's network and access employee credentials, potentially leading to unauthorized access to email accounts, VPN, and other company tools. The security researcher who discovered the hack described it as a serious security incident, highlighting the malicious nature of the software failure [42986]. |
| Intent (Poor/Accidental Decisions) |
unknown |
(a) The intent of the software failure incident was not due to poor decisions but rather due to the actions of hackers who gained unauthorized access to Facebook's internal corporate network. The hackers exploited security vulnerabilities in Facebook's corporate tools, such as a file transfer service, to compromise the network and access employee usernames and passwords [42986]. The incident was discovered by a security researcher performing penetration testing on Facebook's network, indicating that the failure was a result of malicious intent rather than poor decisions made by the company. |
| Capability (Incompetence/Accidental) |
development_incompetence |
(a) The software failure incident in the article can be attributed to development incompetence. The hackers gained entry to Facebook's internal corporate network by exploiting seven security vulnerabilities in Facebook's corporate tools, including a file transfer service. The security researcher, Orange Tsai, discovered these vulnerabilities while performing penetration testing on Facebook's network [42986].
(b) The software failure incident can also be considered accidental to some extent. The Facebook security team member mentioned that the software being used was third party, and they ran it isolated from the systems hosting data shared on Facebook for better security. It was determined that the activity detected by Orange Tsai was from another researcher participating in Facebook's Bug Bounty program, and neither of them were able to compromise other parts of Facebook's infrastructure [42986]. |
| Duration |
temporary |
(a) The software failure incident in this case was temporary. The hackers gained entry to Facebook's internal corporate network for several months, with access to employee usernames and passwords. The incident was discovered by a security researcher performing penetration testing on Facebook's corporate network, and Facebook was alerted to the hack on 5 February. An internal investigation was launched, and the details of the hack were published on 20 April [42986].
(b) The software failure incident was temporary as it was due to specific circumstances, in this case, the security vulnerabilities discovered by the security researcher and the unauthorized access by the hackers. The incident did not result from permanent contributing factors introduced by all circumstances. |
| Behaviour |
crash, omission, value, other |
(a) crash: The software failure incident in the article can be categorized as a crash. The hackers gained entry to Facebook's internal corporate network and compromised the system, leading to a situation where the system lost control and was not performing its intended functions. This is evident from the fact that the hackers were able to create a proxy on the credential page to log the credentials of Facebook employees, indicating a loss of control over the system's security mechanisms [42986].
(b) omission: The software failure incident can also be categorized as an omission. The hackers were able to exploit vulnerabilities in Facebook's corporate tools, including a file transfer service, which led to the system omitting to perform its intended functions of securely managing employee credentials. This omission allowed the hackers to gain unauthorized access to employee usernames and passwords [42986].
(c) timing: The timing of the software failure incident is not explicitly mentioned in the article. However, it can be inferred that the system's response to the security breach was not immediate, as the hackers were able to maintain access to Facebook's network for several months before being discovered by a security researcher performing penetration testing [42986].
(d) value: The software failure incident can be categorized as a value failure. The compromised system led to the incorrect performance of its intended functions, as the hackers were able to access and log Facebook employee credentials, potentially gaining access to email accounts, Facebook's virtual private network, and other company tools. This unauthorized access indicates a failure in the system's ability to protect sensitive information [42986].
(e) byzantine: The software failure incident does not align with a byzantine failure, which involves inconsistent responses and interactions within a system. The incident described in the article primarily focuses on unauthorized access and data breach caused by the hackers, rather than erratic or inconsistent behavior within the system itself [42986].
(f) other: The software failure incident can be categorized as a security breach leading to unauthorized access and data compromise. This behavior is not explicitly covered in the options provided but is a critical aspect of the incident described in the article [42986]. |