| Recurring |
one_organization |
(a) The software failure incident at Gawker Media, where their user database was hacked, is an example of a similar incident happening again within the same organization. The incident involved a breach of sensitive data, including usernames, passwords, and source code, leading to potential vulnerabilities for users who reused passwords on other sites [54119].
(b) The article does not provide specific information about similar incidents happening at other organizations or with their products and services. |
| Phase (Design/Operation) |
design, operation |
(a) The software failure incident related to the design phase can be attributed to the hacking incident where Gawker Media's user database was compromised. The incident involved a breach in the system that allowed hackers to access 1.5 million usernames and passwords, including sensitive information like Nick Denton's logins to critical systems. The breach also exposed FTP logins, staff passwords, and chats, indicating a deep intrusion into the system's design and security measures [54119].
(b) The software failure incident related to the operation phase can be seen in the aftermath of the hack. Gawker Media had to address the vulnerability of simple passwords to dictionary attacks, potentially leading to identity theft for users who reused passwords on other sites. The company advised users to change passwords on other platforms if they were the same as the ones stored by Gawker Media, highlighting the operational impact of the breach on user security and privacy [54119]. |
| Boundary (Internal/External) |
within_system, outside_system |
(a) within_system: The software failure incident at Gawker Media was primarily due to contributing factors that originated from within the system. The incident involved a hack where the user database with 1.5 million usernames and passwords was compromised. The hackers were able to access sensitive information, including Nick Denton's logins to sensitive systems, FTP logins, staff passwords, and chats. Additionally, the breach extended deep into the system as the hackers obtained source code for the Gawker content management system [54119]. The company acknowledged weaknesses in its systems and expressed embarrassment over the breach, indicating that the vulnerabilities were internal to their infrastructure.
(b) outside_system: The software failure incident at Gawker Media was also influenced by factors originating from outside the system. The hacking group "Gnosis" claimed responsibility for the breach, indicating an external threat actor targeting the company's systems [54119]. Furthermore, the incident was linked to potential retaliation against Gawker for being dismissive about the online forum 4Chan, suggesting external motivations for the attack. The incident was not directly related to recent cyberspace attacks over the WikiLeaks site's release of classified government documents, but there were potential connections to individuals or groups with similar grievances [54119]. |
| Nature (Human/Non-human) |
non-human_actions, human_actions |
(a) The software failure incident in Article 54119 was primarily due to non-human actions, specifically a hacking incident carried out by a group called "Gnosis." The hackers were able to breach Gawker Media's system, accessing a user database with 1.5 million usernames and passwords, as well as details of sensitive logins. The breach involved the release of a 500MB file on Bittorrent, which contained not only user data but also source code for the Gawker content management system, indicating a deep intrusion into the system [54119].
(b) Human actions also played a role in the software failure incident. The article mentions that Gawker Media had been dismissive about the online forum 4Chan, which led to disparaging chats about 4Chan in leaked chat transcripts. This behavior may have contributed to Gawker being targeted by the hackers from the group "Gnosis" [54119]. |
| Dimension (Hardware/Software) |
software |
(a) The software failure incident reported in the article was primarily due to a hacking incident where Gawker Media's user database was hacked, resulting in the exposure of 1.5 million usernames and passwords. This incident was caused by external factors related to hacking and security breaches rather than originating from hardware issues [54119].
(b) The software failure incident was directly related to software vulnerabilities within Gawker Media's systems. The hackers were able to access sensitive information, including usernames, passwords, FTP logins, and staff chats, indicating a breach in the software's security measures. Additionally, the release of source code for the Gawker content management system suggests that the hackers penetrated deep into the software systems [54119]. |
| Objective (Malicious/Non-malicious) |
malicious |
(a) The software failure incident reported in Article 54119 was malicious in nature. The incident involved a hacking group called "Gnosis" hacking into Gawker Media's user database, compromising 1.5 million usernames and passwords. The hackers released details of Nick Denton's logins to sensitive systems, including FTP logins, staff passwords, and chats. The hackers also released a 500MB file on Bittorrent containing the user data and source code for Gawker's content management system, indicating a deep intrusion into the system. Gnosis warned of continuing attacks, and the incident was linked to Gawker's dismissive attitude towards the online forum 4Chan, potentially angering individuals associated with Anonymous group [54119].
(b) The incident was non-malicious in the sense that the compromised logins were primarily used for making comments rather than containing sensitive data like credit card details. However, the incident exposed vulnerabilities in Gawker's system, particularly related to weak passwords that could be susceptible to dictionary attacks. Gawker advised users to change passwords on other sites if they were the same as the ones stored by Gawker Media, highlighting the importance of password security [54119]. |
| Intent (Poor/Accidental Decisions) |
poor_decisions |
(a) The intent of the software failure incident related to poor_decisions:
- The software failure incident involving Gawker Media's user database being hacked and sensitive information being released was a result of poor decisions made in terms of security measures and password management [54119].
- Gawker Media admitted that they should not have been relying on the goodwill of hackers to identify weaknesses in their systems, indicating a lack of proactive security measures and oversight [54119].
(b) The intent of the software failure incident related to accidental_decisions:
- The software failure incident was not primarily due to accidental decisions but rather a deliberate hacking attack by a group called "Gnosis" [54119].
- The hackers behind the attack were determined and knowledgeable, indicating a deliberate and planned effort rather than accidental decisions leading to the failure [54119]. |
| Capability (Incompetence/Accidental) |
development_incompetence, accidental |
(a) The software failure incident related to development incompetence is evident in the article as Gawker Media's user database with 1.5 million usernames and passwords was hacked, leading to the exposure of sensitive information, including Nick Denton's logins to sensitive systems [54119]. The incident highlights a lack of professional competence in ensuring the security of user data and systems, ultimately resulting in a significant breach.
(b) The software failure incident related to accidental factors is seen in the article through the disclosure that many users had used easily guessable passwords like "password" and "qwerty," which were found in the leaked data [54119]. This accidental choice of weak passwords contributed to the vulnerability of the system and facilitated the success of the hacking group's attack. |
| Duration |
permanent, temporary |
(a) The software failure incident in this case seems to be more permanent in nature. The incident involved a hack where Gawker Media's user database with 1.5 million usernames and passwords was compromised by a hacking group called "Gnosis" [54119]. The breach was significant as it involved the release of sensitive information, including details of Denton's logins to sensitive systems, FTP logins, staff passwords, and chats. The hackers also accessed the source code for Gawker's content management system, indicating a deep intrusion into the system. The company acknowledged that simple passwords could be vulnerable to a dictionary attack, potentially leading to identity theft for users who reused passwords on other sites [54119].
(b) The software failure incident could also be considered temporary to some extent. After the hack, Gawker Media briefly stopped publishing new content to its sites, including Gawker, Gizmodo, Lifehacker, and Jezebel [54119]. The company also mentioned that people who logged in via Facebook Connect need not worry, and it was noted that at that time, it was not possible to delete accounts with Gawker [54119]. These temporary measures were likely taken to assess the extent of the breach and implement necessary security measures to prevent further damage. |
| Behaviour |
crash, omission, other |
(a) crash: The software failure incident in the article can be categorized as a crash. The incident involved a hack where Gawker Media's user database was compromised, leading to the release of 1.5 million usernames and passwords. This resulted in the system losing its state and not being able to perform its intended functions, such as protecting user data and maintaining system security [54119].
(b) omission: The incident can also be linked to omission. The system omitted to perform its intended functions of safeguarding user data and preventing unauthorized access when it failed to secure the user database, leading to the hacking incident [54119].
(c) timing: There is no specific mention of a timing-related failure in the article.
(d) value: The software failure incident does not align with a value-related failure.
(e) byzantine: The incident does not exhibit characteristics of a byzantine failure.
(f) other: The other behavior exhibited in this software failure incident is a security breach due to a hack by the group "Gnosis." The breach resulted in the exposure of sensitive information, including usernames, passwords, source code, and staff details, indicating a significant compromise of system security [54119]. |