| Recurring |
one_organization, multiple_organization |
(a) This incident of a security flaw with the iPhone 6S and 6S Plus allowing bypassing the phone lock and accessing personal information without the passcode is not the first time such an issue has occurred. The article mentions that the bug was discovered by Jose Rodriguez, who had found a similar security hole last year. This indicates that a similar incident had happened before with the same products [42820].
(b) The article mentions that the security flaw affecting the iPhone 6S and 6S Plus devices running iOS 9, including the recently released version, iOS 9.3.1. This incident comes just after the FBI's recent battles with Apple to unlock the San Bernardino shooter's iPhone 5C. The FBI has yet to divulge how it unlocked the smartphone or whether a third-party that assisted used a security flaw similar to this one to bypass the passcode. This suggests that similar incidents or vulnerabilities may have been exploited by other organizations or entities for unlocking devices in the past [42820]. |
| Phase (Design/Operation) |
design, operation |
(a) The software failure incident in the article is related to the design phase. The security flaw with the iPhone 6S and 6S Plus that allowed bypassing the phone lock and accessing personal information without the passcode was a result of a bug in Siri's functionality. This bug was discovered by Jose Rodriguez and required specific interactions with Siri and the Contacts app from the lockscreen, highlighting a flaw introduced during the system development or system updates [42820].
(b) Additionally, the software failure incident can also be attributed to the operation phase. The incident occurred due to the misuse of the system, specifically exploiting the Siri functionality from the lockscreen to access sensitive information without proper authentication. Users could protect themselves by adjusting privacy settings and disabling Siri access while the iPhone is locked, indicating that the failure was also influenced by the operation or misuse of the system [42820]. |
| Boundary (Internal/External) |
within_system |
(a) within_system: The software failure incident described in the article is within the system. The security flaw that allowed bypassing the iPhone lockscreen and accessing personal information was a result of a bug in Siri's functionality on iPhone 6S and 6S Plus devices running iOS 9, including the recently released version, iOS 9.3.1. This bug was exploited by using Siri to search Twitter for an email address and then accessing contacts and potentially photos without unlocking the device [42820]. The issue was later fixed by Apple with an update that forced Siri to ask for a passcode when searching Twitter from the lockscreen. |
| Nature (Human/Non-human) |
non-human_actions, human_actions |
(a) The software failure incident in this case is related to non-human_actions, specifically a security flaw in the iPhone 6S and 6S Plus that allowed anyone to bypass the phone lock and access personal information without knowing the passcode. This flaw was discovered by Jose Rodriguez and required the use of Siri to search Twitter for an email address, enabling access to contacts and potentially photos without unlocking the device. Apple later fixed the issue with Siri to address this security vulnerability [42820].
(b) The software failure incident can also be attributed to human_actions, as the security flaw was discovered and exploited by Jose Rodriguez. Additionally, users could protect themselves from the vulnerability by adjusting their privacy settings and disabling Siri access to photos while the iPhone is locked [42820]. |
| Dimension (Hardware/Software) |
hardware, software |
(a) The software failure incident related to hardware:
- The security flaw with the iPhone 6S and 6S Plus that allowed bypassing the phone lock and accessing personal information without the passcode was due to a bug in the software. This bug was discovered by Jose Rodriguez [42820].
- The bypass bug only affected devices with 3D Touch screens, specifically the iPhone 6S and 6S Plus, indicating a hardware-specific vulnerability [42820].
(b) The software failure incident related to software:
- The security flaw that allowed bypassing the phone lock and accessing personal information on iPhone 6S and 6S Plus devices was a software bug in Siri's functionality, which did not prompt for a passcode when searching Twitter from the lockscreen [42820].
- Apple addressed the issue by fixing Siri to ask for a passcode when searching Twitter from the lockscreen, indicating that the root cause of the failure was a software flaw [42820]. |
| Objective (Malicious/Non-malicious) |
malicious |
(a) The software failure incident described in Article 42820 is malicious in nature. The security flaw with the iPhone 6S and 6S Plus allowed anyone to bypass the phone lock and access personal information without knowing the passcode. This flaw was discovered by Jose Rodriguez and could be exploited by an attacker using Siri to search for an email address on Twitter and then gaining access to contacts and potentially photos without unlocking the device. The incident involved exploiting a vulnerability in the system with the intent to access sensitive information without authorization, indicating a malicious objective [42820]. |
| Intent (Poor/Accidental Decisions) |
poor_decisions |
(a) The intent of the software failure incident related to poor_decisions:
The software failure incident related to the security flaw in the iPhone 6S and 6S Plus can be attributed to poor decisions in the design and implementation of the lockscreen bypass feature. The flaw allowed attackers to access personal information without knowing the passcode by exploiting Siri's functionality to search for email addresses and manipulate contacts and photos without unlocking the device. This indicates a lack of robust security measures and oversight in the development of the iOS software, leading to a significant vulnerability that compromised user privacy and security [42820].
(b) The intent of the software failure incident related to accidental_decisions:
The software failure incident does not seem to be related to accidental decisions. Instead, it appears to be a result of a deliberate security flaw that was discovered and exploited by a security researcher. The incident highlights a critical oversight in the software design and implementation rather than accidental decisions [42820]. |
| Capability (Incompetence/Accidental) |
development_incompetence, accidental |
(a) The software failure incident in this case can be attributed to development incompetence. The security flaw that allowed bypassing the iPhone lockscreen and accessing personal information without the passcode was discovered by Jose Rodriguez, who had also found a similar security hole in the past [Article 42820]. This indicates a lack of professional competence in ensuring the security and integrity of the iPhone's operating system.
(b) Additionally, the incident can also be categorized as accidental. The ease with which the bypass bug could be executed using Siri on the lockscreen, without the need for the passcode, suggests that this vulnerability was unintentionally introduced during the development or update of the iOS system. The article mentions that Apple has since fixed the issue with Siri, indicating that the bypass was not an intentional feature but rather an accidental flaw [Article 42820]. |
| Duration |
temporary |
The software failure incident described in the article is temporary. The security flaw with the iPhone 6S and 6S Plus, allowing anyone to bypass the phone lock and access personal information without knowing the passcode, was temporary as Apple fixed the issue with Siri by forcing it to ask for a passcode if searching Twitter from the lockscreen [42820]. |
| Behaviour |
value, other |
(a) crash: The software failure incident described in the article does not involve a crash where the system loses state and does not perform any of its intended functions. Instead, it focuses on a security flaw that allows unauthorized access to personal information on iPhone 6S and 6S Plus devices [42820].
(b) omission: The incident does not involve a failure due to the system omitting to perform its intended functions at an instance(s). It is more about a security vulnerability that allows unauthorized access to contacts and photos on the iPhone without unlocking the device [42820].
(c) timing: The incident is not related to a failure due to the system performing its intended functions correctly but too late or too early. It is primarily about a security flaw that allows access to sensitive information without proper authentication [42820].
(d) value: The software failure incident is related to a failure due to the system performing its intended functions incorrectly. Specifically, the flaw allows an attacker to bypass the phone lock and access personal information without knowing the passcode, which is a clear violation of the intended security measures [42820].
(e) byzantine: The incident does not involve a failure due to the system behaving erroneously with inconsistent responses and interactions. It is more about a specific security vulnerability that can be exploited to gain unauthorized access to contacts and photos on the iPhone 6S and 6S Plus devices [42820].
(f) other: The behavior of the software failure incident can be categorized as a security vulnerability that allows unauthorized access to sensitive information on the iPhone devices. It is a critical flaw that compromises the security and privacy of the users by bypassing the phone lock and accessing personal data without proper authentication [42820]. |