| Recurring |
one_organization, multiple_organization |
(a) The software failure incident related to the hack of Dropbox's user data in 2012 happened again within the same organization. The incident involved a breach where over 68 million users' email addresses and passwords were leaked on the internet. Dropbox had previously reported a similar breach in 2012 where a collection of user email addresses had been stolen, but not passwords. The recent incident in 2016 revealed that passwords were also compromised, indicating a recurrence of a security breach within the same organization [46773, 47049].
(b) The software failure incident related to the hack of Dropbox's user data in 2012 also had implications for multiple organizations. The original breach at Dropbox was attributed to the reuse of a password by a Dropbox employee that was previously used on LinkedIn, which had also suffered a breach. This chain of events highlights the interconnected nature of security breaches and how a breach in one organization can lead to vulnerabilities in another organization's network. The incident underscores the importance of strong security practices not only for individual users but also for companies storing user data [46773, 47049]. |
| Phase (Design/Operation) |
design, operation |
(a) The software failure incident related to the design phase is evident in the articles. The incident occurred due to the reuse of a password by a Dropbox employee that was previously used on LinkedIn, which suffered a breach. This password reuse allowed hackers to enter Dropbox's corporate network and gain access to the user database with encrypted passwords [46773, 47049].
(b) The software failure incident related to the operation phase is also highlighted in the articles. Users who had not changed their passwords since 2012 were required to do so by Dropbox to mitigate the impact of the hack. Dropbox emphasized the importance of users not reusing passwords on other sites to protect themselves from potential security breaches [46773, 47049]. |
| Boundary (Internal/External) |
within_system, outside_system |
(a) within_system: The software failure incident related to the Dropbox hack in 2012 was primarily due to contributing factors that originated from within the system. The breach occurred as a result of a Dropbox employee reusing a password that had been previously compromised in a breach on LinkedIn, allowing hackers to gain access to Dropbox's corporate network and subsequently the user database [46773, 47049].
(b) outside_system: Additionally, the incident also involved contributing factors that originated from outside the system. The initial breach on LinkedIn, where the Dropbox employee's password was compromised, was an external factor that led to the chain of events resulting in the Dropbox hack [46773, 47049]. |
| Nature (Human/Non-human) |
non-human_actions, human_actions |
(a) The software failure incident occurring due to non-human actions:
- The software failure incident in Dropbox was due to a hack where over 68 million users' email addresses and passwords were leaked onto the internet [46773, 47049].
- The original breach was the result of the reuse of a password a Dropbox employee had previously used on LinkedIn, which allowed hackers to enter Dropbox's corporate network and gain access to the user database with encrypted passwords [46773].
- The passwords were encrypted and appeared to be in the process of upgrading the encryption from the SHA1 standard to a more secure standard called bcrypt [46773].
- The breach highlighted the need for tight security practices, such as the use of strong passwords, two-step authentication, and avoiding password reuse [46773].
- The incident also emphasized the importance of companies storing user data securely and the dangers of password reuse and entry into corporate networks [46773].
(b) The software failure incident occurring due to human actions:
- The original breach that led to the hack on Dropbox was due to the reuse of a password by a Dropbox employee on LinkedIn, which allowed hackers to access the corporate network [46773].
- Dropbox reset a number of users' passwords at the time of the breach, but the exact number was not disclosed [46773].
- Dropbox head of trust, Patrick Heim, reminded users to consider whether they reused their Dropbox passwords on other accounts, indicating the potential for human actions contributing to the incident [47049]. |
| Dimension (Hardware/Software) |
hardware, software |
(a) The software failure incident related to hardware:
- The original breach of Dropbox's user data in 2012 was attributed to the reuse of a password by a Dropbox employee that was previously used on LinkedIn, which suffered a breach revealing the password and allowing hackers to enter Dropbox's corporate network [46773].
- The hackers gained access to the user database with encrypted and "salted" passwords after entering Dropbox's corporate network through the compromised password [46773].
(b) The software failure incident related to software:
- The software failure incident in Dropbox's case was primarily due to the reuse of a password by an employee, which allowed hackers to gain access to the user database [46773].
- The incident also highlighted the importance of user security practices such as using strong passwords, enabling two-step verification, and avoiding password reuse [46773].
- Dropbox had encrypted the passwords using the SHA1 standard and was in the process of upgrading to a more secure standard called bcrypt, indicating a software-related security measure [46773].
- The use of a password manager was recommended by security experts to enhance security, emphasizing the software aspect of password management [46773].
- The incident also underscored the importance of companies storing user data to maintain tight security measures to prevent unauthorized access [46773]. |
| Objective (Malicious/Non-malicious) |
malicious |
(a) The software failure incident related to the Dropbox hack in 2012 was malicious in nature. The incident involved a hacker gaining unauthorized access to Dropbox's internal systems and stealing a list of user email accounts along with passwords [46773, 47049]. The hacker was able to enter Dropbox's corporate network by exploiting a password reuse issue from a Dropbox employee's LinkedIn account, which had also been breached. This breach led to the exposure of user passwords, demonstrating malicious intent to harm the system and compromise user data. |
| Intent (Poor/Accidental Decisions) |
poor_decisions, accidental_decisions |
(a) The software failure incident related to the Dropbox hack in 2012 can be attributed to poor_decisions. The incident occurred due to the reuse of a password by a Dropbox employee that was previously used on LinkedIn, which had suffered a breach. This password reuse allowed hackers to enter Dropbox's corporate network and gain access to the user database with encrypted passwords [46773, 47049]. Additionally, the incident highlighted the importance of tight security practices, such as using strong passwords, two-step authentication, and avoiding password reuse, both for users and companies storing user data [46773].
(b) The software failure incident related to the Dropbox hack in 2012 can also be linked to accidental_decisions. Dropbox did not initially report that passwords had been stolen in the 2012 attack, only mentioning the theft of email addresses. It was later discovered that passwords were also compromised, leading to the need for a password reset for all impacted users who hadn't changed their passwords since 2012 [46773, 47049]. This oversight in not disclosing the full extent of the breach initially could be considered an accidental decision that contributed to the incident. |
| Capability (Incompetence/Accidental) |
development_incompetence |
(a) The software failure incident related to development incompetence is evident in the Dropbox hack incident. The breach occurred due to the reuse of a password by a Dropbox employee that was previously used on LinkedIn, which had suffered a breach revealing the password. This password reuse allowed hackers to enter Dropbox's corporate network and gain access to the user database [46773].
(b) The software failure incident related to accidental factors is seen in the accidental exposure of user data due to the hack on Dropbox. The company initially reported that only email addresses were stolen, not passwords. However, it was later discovered that passwords were also leaked, leading to the need for a password reset for impacted users [46773, 47049]. |
| Duration |
temporary |
The software failure incident related to the Dropbox hack in 2012 can be categorized as a temporary failure. This incident was temporary because it occurred due to specific circumstances, namely the reuse of a password by a Dropbox employee that had been compromised in a breach on LinkedIn. The breach allowed hackers to access Dropbox's corporate network and subsequently the user database containing encrypted passwords [46773, 47049]. |
| Behaviour |
value, other |
(a) crash: The software failure incident in the articles does not involve a crash where the system loses state and does not perform any of its intended functions [46773, 47049].
(b) omission: The incident does not involve the system omitting to perform its intended functions at an instance(s) [46773, 47049].
(c) timing: The failure is not related to the system performing its intended functions correctly but too late or too early [46773, 47049].
(d) value: The software failure incident is related to the system performing its intended functions incorrectly, as it led to the leaking of over 68 million users' email addresses and passwords [46773, 47049].
(e) byzantine: The incident does not involve the system behaving erroneously with inconsistent responses and interactions [46773, 47049].
(f) other: The software failure incident also involves the reuse of a password by a Dropbox employee on LinkedIn, which ultimately led to the breach and access to the user database [46773]. |