| Recurring |
unknown |
(a) The software failure incident related to the security flaw in smartphones from a major Chinese manufacturer has not been explicitly mentioned to have happened again within the same organization or with its products and services in the provided article [56491].
(b) The article does not mention any specific instances of a similar software failure incident happening at other organizations or with their products and services. |
| Phase (Design/Operation) |
design, operation |
(a) The software failure incident in the article can be attributed to the design phase. The security flaw known as "CoolReaper" was deliberately introduced into the software that powers smartphones made by Coolpad. This flaw allowed hackers full control of the devices, enabling them to download and install any software onto the phones without the user's permission. The backdoor may have been installed by hackers who broke into the company's systems, and the phone's Android operating systems were modified to hide the malware from users and security programs [56491].
(b) The software failure incident can also be linked to the operation phase. Users were described as powerless to do anything about the flaw, short of modifying the operating system. Additionally, users may have been unaware that their data, such as personal information, credit card details, logins, and passwords, were being stolen due to the security flaw [56491]. |
| Boundary (Internal/External) |
within_system |
(a) The software failure incident related to the security flaw in smartphones from Coolpad can be categorized as within_system. The backdoor, known as "CoolReaper," was found in the software that powers the smartphones, indicating that the flaw originated from within the system itself. The article mentions that the backdoor may have been installed by hackers who breached Coolpad's systems, but the fact that the phone's Android operating systems were modified to hide the malware and that the server controlling the malware was owned by Coolpad suggests that the issue was internal to the system [56491]. |
| Nature (Human/Non-human) |
non-human_actions, human_actions |
(a) The software failure incident in this case was due to non-human_actions, specifically a security flaw known as "CoolReaper" backdoor that was deliberately introduced into the software that powers smartphones made by Coolpad. This flaw allowed hackers or Coolpad itself to have full control of the devices, download and install software without user permission, disable security applications, install additional malware, steal information, and inject content into the users' devices [56491]. The backdoor may have been installed by hackers who broke into the company's systems, and the phone's Android operating systems were modified to hide the malware from users and security programs. Additionally, the server remotely controlling the malware on the phones was owned by Coolpad [56491].
(b) While the backdoor itself may have been introduced without direct human actions by Coolpad, the incident also highlights potential human actions that could have contributed to the failure. For instance, vulnerabilities in the backdoor were found that would allow hackers to take control of the flaw, even if Coolpad was not using it for malicious reasons [56491]. This suggests that there could have been oversight or lack of proper security measures in place by the company, which indirectly contributed to the software failure incident. |
| Dimension (Hardware/Software) |
hardware, software |
(a) The software failure incident in the article is related to a security flaw in smartphones manufactured by Coolpad, a major Chinese manufacturer. The flaw, known as "CoolReaper," was deliberately introduced and allows hackers full control of the device. This security flaw was found in the software that powers at least 24 models made by Coolpad. The backdoor may have been installed by hackers who had broken into the company's systems, indicating a hardware-related security breach [56491].
(b) The software failure incident is primarily due to contributing factors that originate in software. The CoolReaper backdoor was intentionally introduced into the software of the smartphones, allowing unauthorized access and control of the devices. The flaw in the software enabled hackers or even Coolpad itself to download and install software onto the phones without user permission. Additionally, the Android operating systems on the phones were modified to hide the malware from users and security programs, indicating a software-related vulnerability [56491]. |
| Objective (Malicious/Non-malicious) |
malicious |
(a) The software failure incident in this case is malicious. The security flaw, known as "CoolReaper," was deliberately introduced into the software that powers smartphones made by Coolpad. This flaw allows hackers or even Coolpad itself to have full control of the device, enabling them to download and install any software onto the phones without the user's permission. The backdoor was found to be hidden from users and security programs, and the server remotely controlling the malware was owned by Coolpad. Additionally, the malware could steal information, inject content, and disable security applications on the devices, indicating malicious intent [56491].
(b) The software failure incident is non-malicious. The backdoor may have been installed by hackers who broke into the company's systems, rather than Coolpad itself. Furthermore, vulnerabilities were found in the backdoor that could allow hackers to take control of the flaw, even if Coolpad was not using it for malicious reasons. Users are described as being powerless to do anything about the flaw unless they modify the operating system, suggesting that the flaw was not intentionally introduced to harm the system [56491]. |
| Intent (Poor/Accidental Decisions) |
poor_decisions |
(a) The software failure incident reported in Article 56491 was due to poor decisions. The security flaw, known as "CoolReaper" backdoor, was deliberately introduced into the software that powers smartphones made by Coolpad. This flaw allowed hackers or even Coolpad itself to have full control of the devices, enabling them to download and install any software onto the phones without the user's permission. The backdoor may have been installed by hackers who broke into the company's systems, and the phone's Android operating systems were modified to hide the malware from users and security programs. Additionally, the server remotely controlling the malware on the phones was owned by Coolpad, indicating a deliberate introduction of the security flaw [56491]. |
| Capability (Incompetence/Accidental) |
development_incompetence |
(a) The software failure incident in Article 56491 can be attributed to development incompetence. The security flaw known as "CoolReaper" backdoor was deliberately introduced into the software that powers smartphones made by Coolpad. This flaw allowed hackers or even Coolpad itself to have full control of the devices, enabling them to download and install any software onto the phones without the user's permission. The backdoor may have been installed by hackers who breached Coolpad's systems, but the Android operating systems on the phones were modified to hide the malware from users and security programs. Additionally, the server remotely controlling the malware was owned by Coolpad, indicating a level of involvement or negligence on the part of the company in allowing such vulnerabilities to exist [56491].
(b) The accidental introduction of the security flaw is not explicitly mentioned in the article. |
| Duration |
permanent |
(a) The software failure incident described in the article seems to be permanent. The security flaw, known as "CoolReaper" backdoor, was deliberately introduced into the software that powers at least 24 models made by Coolpad. This flaw allows hackers or even Coolpad itself to have full control of the device, enabling them to download and install any software onto the phones without the user's permission. The backdoor was found to have been embedded into 24 phone models in the last 12 months, indicating a deliberate and ongoing issue [56491].
(b) The software failure incident does not appear to be temporary. The backdoor was not a one-time occurrence but rather a deliberate introduction into the software, potentially by hackers who had broken into the company's systems. Additionally, the server remotely controlling the malware on the phones was owned by Coolpad, suggesting a continuous presence of the security flaw [56491]. |
| Behaviour |
omission, value, other |
(a) crash: The software failure incident in the article does not involve a crash where the system loses state and does not perform any of its intended functions.
(b) omission: The software failure incident in the article involves a security flaw that allows hackers or the manufacturer to download and install any software onto the phones without the user's permission, indicating an omission in the system's intended functions [Article 56491].
(c) timing: The software failure incident in the article does not involve a timing issue where the system performs its intended functions too late or too early.
(d) value: The software failure incident in the article involves the system performing its intended functions incorrectly by allowing unauthorized software installations and potential data theft, indicating a value-related failure [Article 56491].
(e) byzantine: The software failure incident in the article does not involve a byzantine behavior where the system behaves erroneously with inconsistent responses and interactions.
(f) other: The software failure incident in the article involves a deliberate introduction of a security flaw (CoolReaper backdoor) that allows unauthorized software installations and potential data theft, which can be categorized as a deliberate malicious behavior not covered by the options (a) to (e) [Article 56491]. |