| Recurring |
one_organization |
(a) The software failure incident having happened again at one_organization:
- The article describes a situation where a MacFixIt reader named "Cindy" reported that all admin privileges for users had disappeared on her PowerPC G5 running OS X 10.5.8 [2073].
- This incident indicates a specific software failure within the macOS operating system that affected the ability to create new administrator accounts and demoted existing administrators to standard users, leaving only the root account for system administration.
(b) The software failure incident having happened again at multiple_organization:
- The article does not provide information about the software failure incident happening again at other organizations or with their products and services. |
| Phase (Design/Operation) |
design |
(a) The software failure incident described in Article 2073 is related to the design phase. The issue stemmed from a missing admin group in the directory, which prevented users from being granted administrative access. This problem was likely introduced during system development or updates, as the admin group was not available, leading to the failure in creating new administrator accounts and demoting existing ones to standard users. The solution involved creating a replacement administrator group with the necessary attributes to restore administrative account functionality [2073]. |
| Boundary (Internal/External) |
within_system |
The software failure incident described in Article 2073 is primarily within_system. The issue of missing admin privileges and the inability to create new administrator accounts stemmed from corruption or a fault within the directory system of OS X. The absence of the admin group, which is crucial for granting administrative access, was a key internal factor contributing to the failure incident. The solution involved creating a replacement administrator group within the system to address the issue [2073]. |
| Nature (Human/Non-human) |
non-human_actions |
(a) The software failure incident in Article 2073 occurred due to non-human actions. The issue was related to the disappearance of admin privileges for all users on a Mac system, leading to the inability to create new administrator accounts and all previous administrators being listed as standard users. This was caused by the absence of the admin group in the directory, which prevented the system from adding new users to it and promoting them to have administrative functions. The error -1436 (eDSRecordNotFound) indicated that the admin group was missing, highlighting a technical fault rather than human actions as the root cause of the problem. The solution involved creating a replacement administrator group with the necessary attributes to restore administrative account functionality on the system [2073]. |
| Dimension (Hardware/Software) |
software |
(a) The software failure incident reported in Article 2073 was not due to hardware issues but rather due to contributing factors that originated in software. The issue was related to the disappearance of admin privileges for all users on a Mac system running OS X 10.5.8. The problem was identified as a missing admin group in the directory, which prevented users from being granted administrative access. The solution involved creating a replacement administrator group through software commands in the Terminal to restore administrative account functionality [2073]. |
| Objective (Malicious/Non-malicious) |
non-malicious |
(a) The software failure incident described in Article 2073 is non-malicious. The issue reported by the MacFixIt reader "Cindy" was related to the disappearance of admin privileges for all users on her PowerPC G5 running OS X 10.5.8. This was not a deliberate act to harm the system but rather a technical problem likely caused by corruption or a fault in the directory structure of the operating system. The incident involved the inability to create new administrator accounts and the existing administrators being listed as standard users, leaving only the root account for system administration. The resolution involved creating a replacement administrator group to restore administrative account functionality on the system. |
| Intent (Poor/Accidental Decisions) |
accidental_decisions |
The software failure incident described in Article 2073 seems to be more aligned with the category of 'accidental_decisions'. The incident was caused by the disappearance of admin privileges for all users on a Mac system, leading to the root account being the only way to administer the system. This issue was not a result of deliberate poor decisions but rather seemed to stem from some form of corruption or fault in the directory, which unintentionally led to the removal of admin privileges for all users. The steps taken to address the problem involved creating a replacement administrator group to restore administrative account functionality, indicating that the incident was more accidental in nature rather than a consequence of poor decisions [2073]. |
| Capability (Incompetence/Accidental) |
accidental |
(a) The software failure incident in Article 2073 was not due to development incompetence. It was caused by a missing admin group in the directory, leading to the inability to create new administrator accounts and all previous administrators being listed as standard users. The issue was identified as a fault in the directory system, specifically the absence of the admin group, which prevented users from being granted administrative access [2073].
(b) The software failure incident in Article 2073 was accidental in nature. The problem arose from some corruption or fault in the directory system, which resulted in the admin group being missing. This accidental issue led to the loss of admin privileges for all users and the inability to create new administrator accounts [2073]. |
| Duration |
temporary |
The software failure incident described in Article 2073 was temporary. The incident involved the disappearance of admin privileges for all users on a Mac running OS X 10.5.8. The issue was caused by the admin group being missing in the directory, which prevented users from being added to it for administrative access. The temporary nature of the failure is evident from the fact that creating a replacement administrator group with the correct Group ID number (GID) resolved the problem and restored administrative account functionality on the system. |
| Behaviour |
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 issue revolves around the disappearance of admin privileges for users on the system, leading to the inability to create new administrator accounts and all previous administrators being listed as standard users [2073].
(b) omission: The failure in this incident is not due to the system omitting to perform its intended functions at an instance(s). It is more about the loss of admin privileges and the inability to add new administrators on the system [2073].
(c) timing: The software failure incident is not related to the system performing its intended functions correctly but at the wrong time (too late or too early). The issue is more about the loss of admin privileges and the inability to create new administrator accounts [2073].
(d) value: The failure is not due to the system performing its intended functions incorrectly. It is more about the system not allowing users to have administrative access and the disappearance of the admin group, leading to the inability to promote users to have administrative functions [2073].
(e) byzantine: The software failure incident does not exhibit a byzantine behavior where the system behaves erroneously with inconsistent responses and interactions. The issue is more straightforward, focusing on the loss of admin privileges and the missing admin group causing the inability to create new administrator accounts [2073].
(f) other: The behavior of the software failure incident can be categorized as a failure related to the disappearance of admin privileges, the missing admin group, and the inability to create new administrator accounts on the system. This behavior falls under the category of access control failure or privilege escalation issue rather than the options provided (a to e) [2073]. |