| Recurring |
one_organization, multiple_organization |
(a) The software failure incident of visitors getting malware from the Drudge Report has happened again within the same organization. This incident occurred for the second time in less than six months, indicating a recurring issue with malware being delivered through ads on the Drudge Report website [1307].
(b) The incident of malware being delivered through ads has also affected other organizations. The article mentions that prominent sites like The New York Times have been affected by malware hidden in ads, with the Drudge Report being one of the sites impacted by malware distributed by Google's DoubleClick, YieldManager, and ValueClick's Fastclick network [1307]. |
| Phase (Design/Operation) |
design, operation |
(a) The software failure incident in the article is related to the design phase. The incident was caused by malware being delivered through ads served by third-party ad networks on websites like the Drudge Report. The malware was hidden in ads distributed by Google's DoubleClick, YieldManager, and ValueClick's Fastclick network, which dropped a variant of the Win32/Alureon Trojan horse onto machines, leading to the installation of other malware [1307].
(b) The software failure incident is also related to the operation phase. Users visiting the Drudge Report were affected by malware due to clicking on certain elements on the website, which triggered fake antivirus warnings and attempted infections on their systems. This aspect of the failure can be attributed to the operation or interaction of users with the website, leading to the malware infiltration [1307]. |
| Boundary (Internal/External) |
within_system, outside_system |
(a) within_system: The software failure incident at the Drudge Report was likely caused by malware coming from ads delivered by a third-party ad network and not the site itself [1307]. The malware appeared as a fake antivirus warning that popped up on the website, indicating that the issue originated within the system due to the ads being served on the site.
(b) outside_system: The incident also involved external factors contributing to the failure. Ad networks and ad delivery firms have been used to deliver malware to websites, affecting even prominent sites like The New York Times. In the case of the Drudge Report, the malware was hidden in ads distributed by Google's DoubleClick, YieldManager, and ValueClick's Fastclick network, indicating that the failure was influenced by factors originating from outside the system [1307]. |
| Nature (Human/Non-human) |
non-human_actions, human_actions |
(a) The software failure incident in this case was primarily due to non-human actions, specifically the delivery of malware through ads served by third-party ad networks [1307].
(b) Human actions also played a role in this incident as users interacted with the website by clicking on certain elements that triggered the fake antivirus warnings, leading to potential malware infections [1307]. |
| Dimension (Hardware/Software) |
software |
(a) The software failure incident reported in the articles was primarily due to contributing factors originating in software rather than hardware. The incident involved malware being delivered through ads on the Drudge Report website, potentially via third-party ad networks like Google's DoubleClick, YieldManager, and ValueClick's Fastclick network [1307]. The malware was designed to infect visitors' systems with malicious software, such as the Win32/Alureon Trojan horse, which could then install other malware on the affected machines. Additionally, the incident led to accusations from a Senate committee that the Drudge Report was responsible for viruses affecting Senate computers, further emphasizing the software-related nature of the failure [1307]. |
| Objective (Malicious/Non-malicious) |
malicious |
(a) The software failure incident reported in Article 1307 is malicious in nature. The incident involved malware being distributed through ads delivered by a third-party ad network on the Drudge Report website. The malware appeared as a fake antivirus warning designed to scare people into paying for unnecessary software. The malware was identified as a variant of the Win32/Alureon Trojan horse, which could install other malware on affected machines. Additionally, the incident led to accusations against the Drudge Report by a Senate committee for spreading viruses throughout the Senate, prompting caution regarding visiting certain websites to prevent infections [1307]. |
| Intent (Poor/Accidental Decisions) |
poor_decisions |
(a) The intent of the software failure incident related to poor_decisions:
- The software failure incident on the Drudge Report website was primarily due to the delivery of malware through ads served by third-party ad networks [1307].
- The incident involved malware being distributed through ads from Google's DoubleClick, YieldManager, and ValueClick's Fastclick network, leading to the installation of malicious software on visitors' machines [1307].
- The incident highlighted the risks associated with allowing JavaScript and Active Content, like Flash ads, on websites, which can facilitate the spread of malware [1307].
(b) The intent of the software failure incident related to accidental_decisions:
- The incident on the Drudge Report website where visitors encountered malware was not intentional on the part of the website itself but rather a result of ads containing malware served by third-party ad networks [1307].
- Visitors to the website inadvertently encountered the fake antivirus warnings and malware without any deliberate action on the part of the website [1307].
- The incident was more of an unintended consequence of allowing ads from external networks, rather than a deliberate decision to infect visitors with malware [1307]. |
| Capability (Incompetence/Accidental) |
accidental |
(a) The software failure incident reported in the articles is more aligned with the accidental category rather than development incompetence. The incident involved malware being delivered through ads served by third-party ad networks on websites like the Drudge Report. The malware was not intentionally introduced by the development team but rather infiltrated through the ad delivery mechanism. This is evident from the fact that the Drudge Report denied being responsible for spreading malware and attributed the issue to ads distributed by networks like Google's DoubleClick and others [1307].
(b) The accidental nature of the software failure incident is further highlighted by the fact that the Drudge Report denied accusations of spreading malware and even the Senate committee mentioned that it was not exactly clear where the increase in viruses was coming from. The incident was not a result of intentional actions or incompetence on the part of the development team but rather an unintended consequence of malicious ads being served through the website [1307]. |
| Duration |
temporary |
The software failure incident reported in Article 1307 can be categorized as a temporary failure. The incident involved visitors to the Drudge Report encountering malware, specifically fake antivirus warnings, which were likely delivered through third-party ads on the website. The malware was not directly caused by the website itself but rather by the ads served by external ad networks. This indicates that the failure was due to contributing factors introduced by certain circumstances (third-party ad networks) but not all circumstances (the website itself) [1307]. |
| Behaviour |
value, other |
(a) crash: The incident described in the articles does not specifically mention a system crash where the system loses state and stops performing its intended functions.
(b) omission: The incident does not directly relate to a failure caused by the system omitting to perform its intended functions at an instance(s).
(c) timing: The incident does not involve a failure due to the system performing its intended functions correctly but too late or too early.
(d) value: The software failure incident in the articles is related to the system performing its intended functions incorrectly. Users visiting the Drudge Report were exposed to malware through fake antivirus warnings, indicating a failure in the system's ability to protect users from malicious content [1307].
(e) byzantine: The incident does not exhibit a byzantine failure where the system behaves erroneously with inconsistent responses and interactions.
(f) other: The behavior of the software failure incident can be categorized as a failure in cybersecurity measures. The system failed to prevent the delivery of malware through ads served by third-party networks, leading to users being exposed to fake antivirus warnings and potential malware infections [1307]. |