Incident: Privacy Vulnerability in Yik Yak Messaging App Exposes Users.

Published Date: 2014-12-09

Postmortem Analysis
Timeline 1. The software failure incident with Yik Yak's vulnerability that could deanonymize users and take control of their accounts happened until recently, as mentioned in the article [56492]. 2. Published on 2014-12-09 08:00:00+00:00. Estimation: Step 1: The article mentions that the incident happened until recently. Step 2: Published on 2014-12-09. Step 3: The incident likely occurred in late 2014 (around November or December 2014).
System The system that failed in the software failure incident reported in Article 56492 is: 1. Yik Yak messaging app's anonymity feature, which had a vulnerability that could have allowed hackers to deanonymize users and take control of their accounts [56492].
Responsible Organization 1. Hackers were responsible for causing the software failure incident in the Yik Yak messaging app as they exploited a vulnerability that allowed them to deanonymize users and take control of their accounts [56492].
Impacted Organization 1. Users of the Yik Yak messaging app were impacted by the software failure incident where a vulnerability allowed hackers to deanonymize users and take control of their accounts [56492].
Software Causes 1. The software vulnerability in Yik Yak that allowed hackers to deanonymize users and take control of their accounts [56492].
Non-software Causes 1. Lack of proper security testing procedures during app development [56492] 2. Insufficient consideration of potential privacy vulnerabilities in the design phase [56492] 3. Failure to address security concerns promptly after being alerted to the vulnerability [56492]
Impacts 1. The software failure incident in Yik Yak had the potential impact of deanonymizing users and giving hackers total control of their accounts, allowing them to view previous posts, make new posts, and log in using the target's credentials [56492].
Preventions 1. Regular security audits and penetration testing could have helped identify the vulnerability in Yik Yak's app before it was exploited by hackers [56492]. 2. Implementing proper encryption and secure communication protocols within the app could have prevented unauthorized access to user accounts and data [56492]. 3. Conducting thorough code reviews and implementing secure coding practices during the development process could have reduced the likelihood of introducing vulnerabilities in the software [56492].
Fixes 1. Implementing robust security testing procedures during the development phase to identify and address vulnerabilities before the app is released to the public [56492]. 2. Conducting regular security audits and assessments to proactively identify any potential weaknesses or loopholes in the app's security measures [56492]. 3. Providing ongoing security training to the development team to ensure they are equipped to address emerging threats and vulnerabilities effectively [56492].
References 1. Online security firm SilverSky [56492] 2. Researcher Sanford Moskowitz 3. Rhino Security Labs 4. The Guardian

Software Taxonomy of Faults

Category Option Rationale
Recurring multiple_organization <Article 56492> reports on a software failure incident related to a vulnerability in the Yik Yak messaging app that could have allowed hackers to deanonymize users and take control of their accounts. This incident highlights a potential security flaw within the Yik Yak app itself. Additionally, the article mentions similar incidents with other apps promising anonymity, such as Secret and Whisper, where vulnerabilities were also identified, indicating a broader trend in the industry of apps not fully delivering on their privacy promises. Therefore, the incident falls under the category of multiple_organization, as it is not specific to Yik Yak but reflects a broader issue in the industry with similar incidents occurring in other organizations as well [56492].
Phase (Design/Operation) design (a) The software failure incident in the article is related to the design phase. The vulnerability in the Yik Yak messaging app that allowed hackers to deanonymize users and take control of their accounts was a result of a design flaw in the app's anonymity feature. The vulnerability was discovered by online security firm SilverSky, highlighting a contributing factor introduced during the system development phase [56492].
Boundary (Internal/External) within_system (a) The software failure incident described in the article is within_system. The vulnerability in the Yik Yak messaging app that could have allowed hackers to deanonymize users and take control of their accounts was a result of a flaw within the app itself. The vulnerability was discovered by the online security firm SilverSky, indicating that the issue originated from within the system [56492].
Nature (Human/Non-human) non-human_actions (a) The software failure incident in the article was due to non-human actions, specifically a vulnerability in the Yik Yak messaging app that could have allowed hackers to deanonymize users and take control of their accounts. This vulnerability was discovered by the online security firm SilverSky, indicating that the failure was a result of a flaw in the software itself rather than actions taken by humans [56492].
Dimension (Hardware/Software) software (a) The software failure incident in the article is not attributed to hardware issues but rather to a vulnerability in the software itself. The vulnerability in the Yik Yak messaging app allowed hackers to deanonymize users and take control of their accounts, which was a software-related issue [56492].
Objective (Malicious/Non-malicious) malicious (a) The software failure incident described in the article is related to a malicious objective. The vulnerability in the Yik Yak messaging app could have allowed hackers to deanonymize users and take control of their accounts. The article mentions that attackers could view all of the target's previous posts, make new posts, and log in to the app using the target's credentials. This vulnerability could have been exploited by hacktivists to identify bullies on school WiFi networks, indicating a malicious intent to harm the system [56492].
Intent (Poor/Accidental Decisions) poor_decisions (a) The software failure incident related to the Yik Yak messaging app vulnerability can be attributed to poor decisions made during the app's development and implementation. The app's key feature of anonymity was compromised due to a vulnerability that allowed hackers to deanonymize users and take control of their accounts. This vulnerability was discovered by online security firm SilverSky, indicating that the app's design and security measures were not robust enough to protect user privacy [56492].
Capability (Incompetence/Accidental) development_incompetence, accidental (a) The software failure incident in the article can be attributed to development incompetence. The vulnerability in the Yik Yak messaging app that allowed hackers to deanonymize users and take control of their accounts was a result of a privacy loophole that the app developers had not identified initially. This vulnerability could have serious consequences, as attackers could view previous posts, make new posts, and log in using the target's credentials. The fact that this vulnerability was discovered by an external online security firm, SilverSky, indicates a lack of professional competence in ensuring the app's security [56492]. (b) Additionally, the incident can also be categorized as accidental. The vulnerability that allowed for deanonymization was not intentionally created by the developers but was a result of oversight or lack of thorough security testing. The article mentions that the vulnerability was patched after Yik Yak was alerted to it, indicating that it was not a deliberate feature but rather an accidental flaw in the app's design [56492].
Duration temporary <Article 56492> reports on a software failure incident related to the messaging app Yik Yak. The vulnerability discovered by online security firm SilverSky allowed hackers to deanonymize users and take control of their accounts. This vulnerability was a temporary software failure incident as it was patched after being alerted to by SilverSky [56492]. The incident was not permanent as the app developers took action to fix the issue, indicating that the failure was due to contributing factors introduced by certain circumstances but not all.
Behaviour omission, value, other (a) crash: The article does not mention a crash incident where the system loses state and does not perform any of its intended functions. (b) omission: The vulnerability in Yik Yak allowed hackers to deanonymize a user and take total control of their account, enabling them to view all of the target's previous posts, make new posts, and log in to the app using the target's credentials. This can be considered an omission failure as the system omitted to protect user anonymity as intended [56492]. (c) timing: The article does not mention a timing failure where the system performs its intended functions correctly but too late or too early. (d) value: The vulnerability in Yik Yak allowed hackers to take control of a user's account, view their posts, and make new posts, which indicates a failure in the system performing its intended functions incorrectly [56492]. (e) byzantine: The article does not mention a byzantine failure where the system behaves erroneously with inconsistent responses and interactions. (f) other: The behavior described in the article falls under the category of a security vulnerability that compromised user privacy and control over their accounts. This can be considered a security flaw or a privacy breach in the software system [56492].

IoT System Layer

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

Other Details

Category Option Rationale
Consequence harm, property (a) death: People lost their lives due to the software failure (b) harm: People were physically harmed due to the software failure (c) basic: People's access to food or shelter was impacted because of the software failure (d) property: People's material goods, money, or data was impacted due to the software failure (e) delay: People had to postpone an activity due to the software failure (f) non-human: Non-human entities were impacted due to the software failure (g) no_consequence: There were no real observed consequences of the software failure (h) theoretical_consequence: There were potential consequences discussed of the software failure that did not occur (i) other: Was there consequence(s) of the software failure not described in the (a to h) options? What is the other consequence(s)? The consequence of the software failure incident described in the articles is related to potential harm and property impact. The vulnerability in the Yik Yak messaging app could have allowed hackers to deanonymize users, take control of their accounts, view previous posts, make new posts, and log in using the target's credentials. This could lead to various forms of harm and potential property loss as users' accounts and data could be compromised [56492].
Domain information (a) The failed system in the article is related to the information industry as it involves a messaging app called Yik Yak that allows users to post messages anonymously [56492]. The vulnerability in the app allowed hackers to deanonymize users and take control of their accounts, highlighting a significant privacy loophole in the information-sharing platform.

Sources

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