| Recurring |
multiple_organization |
(a) The software failure incident related to Philips Hue smart bulbs being remotely hacked and controlled by researchers was disclosed to Philips earlier in the year, and the company responded by issuing a security update to address the issue before anything was made public. This incident did not seem to have happened again within the same organization [49785].
(b) The researchers who discovered the security flaw with Philips Hue smart bulbs also pointed out that their technique could potentially be used to control massive amounts of lights all at once in a densely populated area, which could theoretically be used to damage a city's electrical grid. This implies that similar incidents could potentially happen with other devices that communicate using ZigBee transmissions as well, not necessarily limited to Philips Hue bulbs [49785]. |
| Phase (Design/Operation) |
design |
(a) The software failure incident in the article is related to the design phase. Researchers were able to remotely hack Philips Hue bulbs by tricking the lights into accepting a malicious firmware update, allowing them to take control of the bulbs and force them to flash against their will. This security flaw was identified in the design of the Philips Hue smart bulbs and potentially other devices using ZigBee transmissions [49785].
(b) The software failure incident is not related to the operation phase but rather to a security flaw in the design of the Philips Hue smart bulbs that allowed for remote hacking and control of the bulbs. The incident did not involve misuse or operation issues but rather a vulnerability in the system design that could be exploited by hackers [49785]. |
| Boundary (Internal/External) |
within_system |
(a) within_system: The software failure incident with Philips Hue smart bulbs was due to a security flaw within the system itself. Researchers were able to remotely hack the bulbs by tricking them into accepting a malicious firmware update, allowing the hackers to take control of the bulbs and force them to flash against their will [49785]. This vulnerability was identified within the Philips Hue smart bulbs and potentially other devices using ZigBee transmissions. |
| Nature (Human/Non-human) |
non-human_actions |
(a) The software failure incident in the article was due to non-human actions. Researchers were able to remotely hack Philips Hue bulbs by tricking the lights into accepting a malicious firmware update, allowing them to take control of the bulbs and force them to flash against their will. This was achieved using a drone or a car at a distance of 229 feet without needing to intercept an actual firmware update from Philips [49785]. |
| Dimension (Hardware/Software) |
hardware, software |
(a) The software failure incident in the article is related to a hardware vulnerability in Philips Hue smart bulbs. Researchers were able to remotely hack the bulbs by tricking them into accepting a malicious firmware update, allowing the hackers to take control of the bulbs and force them to flash against their will. This hardware vulnerability could potentially be exploited to control massive amounts of lights in a densely populated area, posing a risk to the city's electrical grid [49785].
(b) The software failure incident also has a software aspect to it. The researchers were able to exploit a security flaw in the software of the Philips Hue bulbs, allowing them to remotely hack the bulbs and take control of their functionality. This highlights the importance of software security in IoT devices like smart bulbs to prevent unauthorized access and control [49785]. |
| Objective (Malicious/Non-malicious) |
malicious |
(a) The software failure incident described in the article is malicious in nature. Researchers were able to remotely hack Philips Hue bulbs by tricking the lights into accepting a malicious firmware update, allowing them to take control of the bulbs and force them to flash against their will. This technique could potentially be used to control massive amounts of lights in a densely populated area, posing a threat to a city's electrical grid [49785]. |
| Intent (Poor/Accidental Decisions) |
accidental_decisions |
(a) The intent of the software failure incident was not due to poor decisions but rather due to a security flaw that allowed researchers to remotely hack Philips Hue smart bulbs by tricking them into accepting a malicious firmware update. The researchers were able to take control of the bulbs and force them to flash against their will, demonstrating a vulnerability in the system that could potentially be exploited to control massive amounts of lights in a densely populated area [49785]. The incident highlighted the difficulty in ensuring security even for a large company like Philips that uses standard cryptographic techniques to protect its products. |
| Capability (Incompetence/Accidental) |
accidental |
(a) The software failure incident related to development incompetence is not evident in the provided article. The researchers were able to remotely hack Philips Hue bulbs by tricking the lights into accepting a malicious firmware update, showcasing a security flaw rather than a failure due to development incompetence [49785].
(b) The software failure incident related to accidental factors is demonstrated in the article. The researchers were able to force the Philips Hue bulbs to flash against their will by remotely hacking them using a drone or a car, highlighting an accidental security flaw in the devices' communication protocol [49785]. |
| Duration |
temporary |
(a) The software failure incident described in the article was temporary. The incident involved a security flaw with Philips Hue smart bulbs that allowed researchers to remotely hack the bulbs and force them to flash against their will. The researchers were able to exploit this flaw by tricking the lights into accepting a malicious firmware update, demonstrating the vulnerability of the devices to external manipulation. However, Philips responded by issuing a security update to address the issue, indicating that the failure was not permanent and could be mitigated through appropriate measures [49785]. |
| Behaviour |
value, other |
(a) crash: The software failure incident described in the article does not involve a crash where the system loses state and does not perform any of its intended functions. Instead, the incident involves a security flaw with Philips Hue smart bulbs that allowed hackers to remotely hack the bulbs and force them to flash against their will [49785].
(b) omission: The incident does not involve a failure due to the system omitting to perform its intended functions at an instance(s). The security flaw allowed the hackers to take control of the bulbs and manipulate their behavior, rather than the system omitting any intended functions [49785].
(c) timing: The incident is not related to a failure due to the system performing its intended functions correctly but too late or too early. The security flaw allowed the hackers to remotely hack the Philips Hue bulbs and control them, rather than the system exhibiting issues with timing [49785].
(d) value: The software failure incident is related to a failure due to the system performing its intended functions incorrectly. The security flaw with the Philips Hue smart bulbs allowed hackers to force the lights to flash against their will, demonstrating a vulnerability in the system's functionality [49785].
(e) byzantine: The incident does not involve a failure due to the system behaving erroneously with inconsistent responses and interactions. The security flaw with the Philips Hue smart bulbs allowed hackers to remotely hack the bulbs and manipulate their behavior in a consistent manner, rather than exhibiting inconsistent responses [49785].
(f) other: The behavior of the software failure incident can be categorized as a security vulnerability that allowed unauthorized control of the Philips Hue smart bulbs. The incident involved tricking the lights into accepting a malicious firmware update, enabling the hackers to take control of the bulbs and force them to flash against their will, potentially leading to broader implications such as affecting a city's electrical grid [49785]. |