| Recurring |
multiple_organization |
(a) The software failure incident related to Monsanto being victimized by a hacking attack is specific to that organization. There is no mention in the article of a similar incident happening before within Monsanto or with its products and services.
(b) The article mentions that the online activist collective Anonymous, which was responsible for the hacking attack on Monsanto, has been involved in recent attacks on various other organizations as well. These include Booz Allen Hamilton, Apple, Sony, the city of Orlando, Florida, and the governments of Turkey, Egypt, Tunisia, and Iran, among others [6780]. |
| Phase (Design/Operation) |
design, operation |
(a) The software failure incident related to the design phase can be seen in the hacking attack on Monsanto's websites. The incident was organized by a cyber-group, which disrupted their websites and led to the publication of publicly available information on individuals in the global agriculture industry. This disruption and data breach were a result of factors introduced during the system development and maintenance processes [6780].
(b) The software failure incident related to the operation phase is evident in the misuse of the system by the hackers. Anonymous targeted Monsanto's web servers as a form of protest against lawsuits filed by the company. The attack on the company's websites and the release of contact information for individuals were consequences of the operation and misuse of the system by external actors [6780]. |
| Boundary (Internal/External) |
within_system, outside_system |
(a) The software failure incident reported in the article is within_system. The failure was a hacking attack on Monsanto's Web servers by the online activist collective Anonymous. The attack resulted in the release of contact information for about 2,500 individuals, including Monsanto's current and former employees, as well as individuals involved in the broader global agriculture industry. Monsanto confirmed the disruption to their websites and stated that the attack was organized by a cyber-group. The company turned over information on the attacks to the appropriate authorities and emphasized the importance of protecting their information systems [6780]. |
| Nature (Human/Non-human) |
non-human_actions |
(a) The software failure incident in this case was due to non-human actions, specifically a hacking attack by the online activist collective Anonymous on Monsanto's web servers. The attack resulted in a disruption to Monsanto's websites and the release of contact information for about 2,500 individuals involved in the global agriculture industry [6780]. |
| Dimension (Hardware/Software) |
software |
(a) The software failure incident reported in the article is not directly attributed to hardware issues. The incident involved a hacking attack by the online activist collective Anonymous on Monsanto's web servers, leading to the release of contact information for about 2,500 individuals and disruption to the company's websites. The focus is on the cyber-attack and data breach rather than hardware-related failures [6780].
(b) The software failure incident in this case is attributed to software-related factors, specifically a hacking attack on Monsanto's web servers by Anonymous. The incident resulted in disruption to the company's websites and the release of contact information for individuals. This highlights a software failure in terms of cybersecurity vulnerabilities and breaches [6780]. |
| Objective (Malicious/Non-malicious) |
malicious |
(a) The software failure incident in this case was malicious. The incident involved a hacking attack on Monsanto's websites by the online activist collective Anonymous. The attack was organized by a cyber-group, and Anonymous released contact information for about 2,500 individuals that was presumably snagged from Monsanto's systems. The attack was in protest against lawsuits filed by Monsanto against organic dairy farmers. Additionally, Anonymous has been involved in various other hacking attacks on different targets as part of its activities [6780]. |
| Intent (Poor/Accidental Decisions) |
poor_decisions |
(a) The intent of the software failure incident related to poor_decisions:
- The software failure incident involving Monsanto being victimized by a hacking attack was related to poor decisions made by the online activist collective Anonymous. Anonymous targeted Monsanto's web servers in protest of lawsuits filed by the company against organic dairy farmers. This incident was part of Anonymous' AntiSec campaign, which involved attacks on various organizations and governments [6780]. |
| Capability (Incompetence/Accidental) |
accidental |
(a) The software failure incident related to development incompetence is not explicitly mentioned in the provided article [6780].
(b) The software failure incident related to accidental factors is evident in the article as it describes how Monsanto was victimized by a hacking attack orchestrated by the online activist collective Anonymous. The incident involved a disruption to Monsanto's websites and the publication of contact information for approximately 2,500 individuals in the global agriculture industry. This incident was accidental in nature as it was caused by the deliberate actions of hackers rather than incompetence on the part of the development organization [6780]. |
| Duration |
temporary |
(a) The software failure incident in this case was temporary. The incident involved a hacking attack on Monsanto's websites by the online activist collective Anonymous. The attack resulted in a disruption to the company's websites and the release of contact information for about 2,500 individuals involved in the global agriculture industry. Monsanto confirmed the attack and stated that only 10 percent of the publicly available information related to its current and former employees. The company took action by turning over information on the attacks to the appropriate authorities and emphasized the importance of protecting their information systems [6780]. |
| Behaviour |
crash, omission, other |
(a) crash: The article mentions that Monsanto experienced a disruption to their websites due to a hacking attack organized by a cyber-group. This disruption could be considered a form of a crash where the system lost its state and was not able to perform its intended functions [6780].
(b) omission: The article states that Anonymous released contact information for about 2,500 individuals that was presumably snagged from Monsanto. This release of information could be seen as the system omitting to protect the privacy and confidentiality of the individuals' data [6780].
(c) timing: There is no specific mention of a timing-related failure in the article.
(d) value: The article does not provide information about the system performing its intended functions incorrectly.
(e) byzantine: The article does not describe the system behaving with inconsistent responses and interactions.
(f) other: The other behavior observed in this software failure incident is the system being hacked and compromised by an external cyber-group, leading to unauthorized access and data disclosure [6780]. |