| Recurring |
one_organization |
(a) The software failure incident related to the Booking.com bug has happened again within the same organization. The bug caused by Booking.com's Universal Links feature led to apps like Mail, Messages, and Safari crashing when a link was tapped, sending the iPhone or iPad into a crash loop and draining the battery faster than normal. The issue was isolated to the Booking.com app, which had a large Universal Links file listing every link on the Booking.com site, causing the crash loop. The app was updated to address the problem, but existing users affected by the bug continued to experience issues even after the update [41986].
(b) There is no specific information in the provided article about the software failure incident happening again at multiple 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 bug caused by Apple's Universal Links feature in iOS 9.3. The bug was identified to be linked to the Booking.com app, which had a 2.3MB Universal Links file listing every link on the Booking.com site. This large file size and the way it interacted with iOS's Shared Web Credentials system led to crashes in apps like Mail, Messages, and Safari, causing devices to become unresponsive and drain batteries faster than normal [41986].
(b) The software failure incident related to the operation phase can be seen in the issues faced by users of older iPhone and iPad models after updating to iOS 9.3. Users found themselves locked out of their devices if they couldn't remember their Apple ID password after the update, rendering their devices unusable. Apple had to release a second edition of the iOS 9.3 update for these older devices to address this issue and allow users to unbrick their devices by applying the updated software via their computers [41986]. |
| Boundary (Internal/External) |
within_system, outside_system |
(a) within_system: The software failure incident related to the Booking.com app crashing Mail, Messages, and Safari on iOS devices was caused by a bug within the app itself. Developers discovered that the app had a 2.3MB Universal Links file listing every link on the Booking.com site, causing issues within iOS's Shared Web Credentials system and leading to the crash loop and unresponsiveness of the devices [41986]. This issue was specific to the app's implementation and the size of the Universal Links file.
(b) outside_system: The software failure incident related to the iOS 9.3 update causing devices to lock or crash was due to factors originating from within the system. The update required users of older devices to enter their Apple ID password after installation, leading to device lock if the password was forgotten. Apple released a second edition of the update to address this issue, indicating that the problem stemmed from within the iOS update itself [41986]. |
| Nature (Human/Non-human) |
non-human_actions, human_actions |
(a) The software failure incident related to non-human actions:
- The software failure incident related to the Booking.com app crashing Mail, Messages, and Safari on iOS devices was caused by a bug in the app's Universal Links feature, specifically a 2.3MB Universal Links file listing every link on the Booking.com site. This large file size and its interaction with iOS's Shared Web Credentials system led to the devices going into a crash loop, becoming unresponsive, and draining batteries faster than normal [41986].
(b) The software failure incident related to human actions:
- The issue with the Booking.com app's Universal Links feature causing crashes on iOS devices was identified as a problem specific to Apple iOS 9.3. The app had to be updated to change the problematic file, indicating that human actions in the app development process contributed to the software failure incident [41986]. |
| Dimension (Hardware/Software) |
software |
(a) The software failure incident related to hardware:
- The incident involving iPhone and iPad users being locked out of their devices or experiencing crashes after updating to iOS 9.3 was primarily due to a bug in the software (iOS 9.3) itself, rather than any hardware-related issues [41986].
(b) The software failure incident related to software:
- The software failure incident was primarily caused by a bug in the Booking.com app, specifically related to the Universal Links feature, which led to crashes in apps like Mail, Messages, and Safari when certain links were tapped [41986]. |
| Objective (Malicious/Non-malicious) |
non-malicious |
(a) The software failure incident related to the Booking.com app causing crashes on iOS devices due to a bug in the Universal Links feature was non-malicious. The bug was not introduced with the intent to harm the system but rather stemmed from the app's Universal Links file being excessively large, causing the devices to crash and drain their batteries faster than normal [41986]. |
| Intent (Poor/Accidental Decisions) |
poor_decisions |
(a) The software failure incident related to the Booking.com app causing crashes on iOS devices due to the Universal Links feature can be attributed to poor decisions. The app had a 2.3MB Universal Links file listing every link on the Booking.com site, which was much larger than typical Universal Links files. This large file size, along with issues within iOS's Shared Web Credentials system, led to the app causing iPhones and iPads to crash, become unresponsive, and drain batteries faster than normal [41986]. This decision to include such a large file in the app's Universal Links configuration was a poor decision that resulted in significant user inconvenience and device issues. |
| Capability (Incompetence/Accidental) |
development_incompetence |
(a) The software failure incident related to development incompetence can be seen in the case of the Booking.com app causing crashes on iOS devices. Developers discovered that the app had a 2.3MB Universal Links file listing every link on the Booking.com site, which was much larger than typical Universal Links files. This large file size, along with issues within iOS's Shared Web Credentials system, led to the app causing iPhones and iPads to crash and become unresponsive, draining their batteries faster than normal [41986].
(b) The accidental software failure incident occurred when users of iPhone 5S or earlier and iPad Air and earlier found their devices locked or crashing after updating to iOS 9.3. This was due to a bug that required their Apple ID password after installation, leading to their devices being locked in an unusable state if they couldn't remember the password. Apple released a second edition of the iOS 9.3 update to address this issue and allow users to skip the Apple ID check during activation, indicating that the initial lockout was accidental and not intentional [41986]. |
| Duration |
temporary |
(a) The software failure incident related to the Booking.com app causing crashes on iOS devices due to the Universal Links bug was considered temporary. The bug was isolated to the Booking.com app, specifically related to the Universal Links feature, causing apps like Mail, Messages, and Safari to crash when a link was tapped. The issue was attributed to a 2.3MB Universal Links file within the Booking.com app, which listed every link on the Booking.com site, leading to the crash loop and unresponsiveness of iPhones and iPads. The bug was acknowledged by Booking.com, and they mentioned that it was specific to Apple iOS 9.3. Apple was also aware of the problem and mentioned that a permanent fix would likely require an update to iOS to correct the error and prevent similar issues caused by other apps [41986]. |
| Behaviour |
crash, other |
(a) crash: The software failure incident described in the articles involves crashes, where apps including Mail, Messages, and Safari crash when a link is tapped due to a bug related to Apple's Universal Links feature [41986].
(b) omission: The incident does not specifically mention a failure due to the system omitting to perform its intended functions at an instance(s).
(c) timing: The incident does not specifically mention a failure due to the system performing its intended functions correctly, but too late or too early.
(d) value: The incident does not specifically mention a failure due to the system performing its intended functions incorrectly.
(e) byzantine: The incident does not specifically mention a failure due to the system behaving erroneously with inconsistent responses and interactions.
(f) other: The other behavior observed in this software failure incident is related to a bug causing the system to lock devices or become unresponsive, draining batteries faster than normal, and requiring users to apply an updated iOS version to unbrick their devices [41986]. |