Incident: Dropbox Security Breach Allows Access Without Passwords

Published Date: 2011-06-20

Postmortem Analysis
Timeline 1. The software failure incident at Dropbox, where a bug caused a temporary security breach allowing access without passwords, occurred on June 19, 2011 [Article 6109].
System 1. Authentication mechanism - The authentication mechanism failed due to a bug introduced during a code update, allowing access to any user account without a password [6109]. 2. Computer servers - The bug introduced while updating the computer servers led to a widespread outage affecting Dropbox's file-sharing service [23779].
Responsible Organization 1. The software failure incident in the Dropbox outage was caused by a bug introduced by the company while updating its computer servers [23779]. 2. The security breach in Dropbox that allowed access to user accounts without passwords was attributed to a programmer's error during a code update [6109].
Impacted Organization 1. Users of Dropbox [23779, 6109] 2. The reputation and trust of Dropbox as a company [23779] 3. The security and privacy of user accounts on Dropbox [6109]
Software Causes 1. A bug introduced during a code update affecting the authentication mechanism [23779]. 2. A programmer's error that allowed any password to be used to access any user account [6109].
Non-software Causes 1. Lack of diversification in services offered by the companies [23779] 2. Surge pricing policies leading to conflicts with traditional taxi services [23779] 3. Security breach due to a programmer's error in a code update [6109]
Impacts 1. The software failure incident at Dropbox caused a widespread outage, leading to countless complaints from users and rumors of a hack, which turned out to be a hoax [23779]. 2. The incident eroded trust in Dropbox's service, highlighting the risk of relying heavily on a single service without diversification [23779]. 3. The security breach due to a programmer's error allowed any password to access any user account, posing a significant embarrassment for Dropbox and raising concerns about its security practices [6109]. 4. The incident led to Dropbox implementing additional safeguards to prevent similar occurrences in the future, indicating a need for improved controls and security measures [6109].
Preventions 1. Implementing thorough code reviews and testing procedures to catch bugs before deploying updates [23779]. 2. Utilizing a more robust authentication mechanism and security controls to prevent unauthorized access [6109]. 3. Enhancing safeguards and controls to mitigate the risk of similar incidents in the future [6109].
Fixes 1. Implement additional safeguards to prevent similar incidents from happening again [6109]. 2. Scrutinize controls and enhance engineering practices to ensure software security [6109]. 3. Conduct thorough testing and quality assurance procedures before deploying code updates to prevent introducing bugs [23779]. 4. Hire smart and experienced talent in tech to address and mitigate potential software failures [23779]. 5. Diversify services to reduce vulnerability to failures in a single core function [23779].
References 1. Dropbox co-founder Drew Houston [Article 23779] 2. Dropbox engineer Akhil Gupta [Article 23779] 3. Dropbox co-founder and CTO Arash Ferdowsi [Article 6109] 4. Privacy advocate Christopher Soghoian [Article 6109]

Software Taxonomy of Faults

Category Option Rationale
Recurring one_organization (a) The software failure incident having happened again at one_organization: - Dropbox experienced a temporary security breach due to a programmer's error that allowed access to any user account using any password [Article 6109]. - This incident was attributed to a "code update" that introduced a bug affecting the authentication mechanism [Article 6109]. - Dropbox co-founder and CTO mentioned that additional safeguards would be implemented to prevent such incidents from happening again [Article 6109]. (b) The software failure incident having happened again at multiple_organization: - The article does not provide information about similar incidents happening at other organizations or with their products and services.
Phase (Design/Operation) design, operation (a) The software failure incident in Article 23779 was related to the design phase. Dropbox experienced a widespread outage due to a bug introduced while updating their computer servers, affecting their file-sharing service. The company acknowledged the bug as the cause of the outage and had to address rumors of a hack, which turned out to be a hoax. The incident highlighted the vulnerability of tech startups like Dropbox, where a single error in the system design can have significant consequences [23779]. (b) The software failure incident in Article 6109 was related to the operation phase. Dropbox confirmed that a programmer's error caused a temporary security breach, allowing access to user accounts without passwords. This breach was attributed to a code update that introduced a bug affecting the authentication mechanism, leading to unauthorized access during a specific time window. The company acknowledged the error and committed to implementing additional safeguards to prevent such incidents in the future, indicating an operational failure in maintaining the security of the system [6109].
Boundary (Internal/External) within_system (a) The software failure incident reported in the articles is primarily within_system. In Article 23779, Dropbox experienced a widespread outage due to a bug introduced while updating their servers [23779]. Additionally, in Article 6109, Dropbox confirmed that a programmer's error caused a temporary security breach, allowing access to user accounts without passwords [6109]. These incidents point to failures originating from within the system, such as bugs and programming errors, rather than external factors.
Nature (Human/Non-human) non-human_actions, human_actions (a) The software failure incident occurring due to non-human actions: - Article 23779 reports that Dropbox experienced a widespread outage due to a bug introduced while updating computer servers, which led to users being unable to access their files. The outage was not due to a hack but rather a technical issue within the system itself [23779]. (b) The software failure incident occurring due to human actions: - Article 6109 mentions that a programmer's error caused a temporary security breach in Dropbox, allowing any password to be used to access any user account. This breach was attributed to a code update that introduced a bug affecting the authentication mechanism, indicating a failure caused by human actions [6109].
Dimension (Hardware/Software) software (a) The software failure incident related to hardware: - There is no specific mention of the software failure incident being caused by hardware issues in the provided articles. (b) The software failure incident related to software: - The software failure incident in Article 6109 was caused by a programmer's error, which led to a temporary security breach allowing access to any user account with any password due to a bug introduced during a code update [6109]. - The software failure incident in Article 23779 was also due to a bug introduced while updating the computer servers that drive Dropbox's file-sharing service, leading to a widespread outage [23779].
Objective (Malicious/Non-malicious) non-malicious (a) The software failure incident reported in Article 6109 was non-malicious. It was caused by a programmer's error that led to a temporary security breach allowing access to any user account without the need for a password. Dropbox confirmed that the breach was due to a "code update" that introduced a bug affecting the authentication mechanism [6109]. (b) The software failure incident reported in Article 23779 was also non-malicious. Dropbox experienced a widespread outage due to a bug introduced while updating its servers, which led to users being unable to access their files. The company had to address rumors of a hack, which turned out to be a hoax. The outage was a result of technical issues rather than any malicious intent [23779].
Intent (Poor/Accidental Decisions) poor_decisions, accidental_decisions (a) poor_decisions: The software failure incident reported in Article 6109 was attributed to a "programmer's error" that caused a temporary security breach, allowing any password to be used to access any user account. This error was linked to a "code update" that "introduced a bug affecting the authentication mechanism" [6109]. (b) accidental_decisions: The software failure incident reported in Article 23779 was also due to a bug introduced while updating the servers, leading to a widespread outage. The article mentions that the outage was not due to a hack, which was initially rumored, but rather a technical issue. Additionally, it highlights the risk associated with such failures for tech startups like Dropbox, emphasizing the importance of performing well consistently to maintain user trust [23779].
Capability (Incompetence/Accidental) development_incompetence (a) The software failure incident occurring due to development incompetence: - Article 6109 reports that a programmer's error caused a temporary security breach in Dropbox, allowing any password to be used to access any user account. This breach was attributed to a "code update" that "introduced a bug affecting the authentication mechanism" [6109]. (b) The software failure incident occurring accidentally: - Article 23779 mentions that Dropbox experienced a widespread outage due to a bug introduced while updating its servers. The outage led to rumors of a hack, which turned out to be a hoax. The incident highlighted the risks tech startups face due to the very nature of their businesses, where a single screw-up can have severe consequences [23779].
Duration temporary (a) The software failure incident reported in Article 6109 was temporary. The incident was caused by a programmer's error that allowed any password to be used to access any user account due to a code update introducing a bug affecting the authentication mechanism. This access without passwords was possible for a specific duration between 1:54pm PT and 5:46pm PT [6109]. (b) The software failure incident reported in Article 23779 was also temporary. Dropbox experienced a widespread outage due to a bug introduced while updating its servers. Users were unable to reach their files during this outage, but the company clarified that the files were not at risk and that the affected databases did not contain file data. The outage was resolved, and the service was restored after a certain period of time [23779].
Behaviour crash, omission, value, other (a) crash: The incident reported in Article 6109 describes a crash where a programmer's error caused a temporary security breach that allowed any password to be used to access any user account, leading to the system losing its state and not performing its intended functions [6109]. (b) omission: The incident in Article 6109 can also be categorized as an omission, as the system omitted to perform its intended function of authenticating users properly due to the bug introduced during a code update [6109]. (c) timing: There is no specific information in the articles to suggest a timing-related failure where the system performed its intended functions correctly but at the wrong time. (d) value: The incident in Article 6109 can be related to a value failure as the system performed its intended function of authentication incorrectly, allowing any password to access any user account [6109]. (e) byzantine: There is no indication in the articles of a byzantine failure where the system behaved erroneously with inconsistent responses and interactions. (f) other: The other behavior observed in the incidents is a bug introduced during a code update, leading to a widespread outage and security breach in the case of Dropbox, as reported in Articles 23779 and 6109.

IoT System Layer

Layer Option Rationale
Perception None None
Communication None None
Application None None

Other Details

Category Option Rationale
Consequence property, delay, non-human, theoretical_consequence (a) death: There is no mention of any deaths related to the software failure incidents in the provided articles. (b) harm: There is no mention of physical harm to individuals due to the software failure incidents in the provided articles. (c) basic: There is no mention of people's access to food or shelter being impacted due to the software failure incidents in the provided articles. (d) property: The software failure incidents in the articles did impact people's material goods or data. In Article 6109, a temporary security breach in Dropbox allowed any password to be used to access any user account, potentially compromising users' data and privacy. (e) delay: In Article 23779, it is mentioned that during a weekend outage, people couldn't reach their files on Dropbox due to the service disruption, which could have caused delays in accessing important information. (f) non-human: In Article 23779, it is mentioned that the databases affected during the Dropbox outage "do not contain file data," indicating that the non-human entities (databases) were impacted by the software failure incident. (g) no_consequence: In both articles, there were observed consequences of the software failure incidents, so the option of 'no_consequence' does not apply. (h) theoretical_consequence: The articles discuss potential consequences of the software failure incidents that did not occur, such as the risk of losing users' trust in Dropbox if files were lost or corrupted during the outage (Article 23779). (i) other: There is no mention of any other specific consequences of the software failure incidents in the provided articles.
Domain information (a) The software failure incident reported in the articles is related to the information industry. Dropbox, the affected company, is a web-based storage firm that provides file-sharing services to users [23779, 6109]. The incident involved a bug introduced during a code update that led to a temporary security breach, allowing unauthorized access to user accounts [23779, 6109]. This incident impacted the production and distribution of information as users' files stored on Dropbox were inaccessible during the outage [23779].

Sources

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