Published Date: 2012-08-06
| Postmortem Analysis | |
|---|---|
| Timeline | 1. The software failure incident happened in August 2012. [Article 13895, Article 13691] |
| System | 1. Apple's and Amazon's customer service procedures and security policies failed, allowing hackers to exploit them to gain unauthorized access to accounts and devices [13895, 13691]. 2. Apple's iCloud security measures failed to adequately verify the identity of users, leading to unauthorized access and data loss [13691]. 3. Google's account recovery process, specifically the lack of two-factor authentication, failed to prevent unauthorized access to accounts [13691]. 4. Find My Mac feature in Apple's iCloud system failed to provide sufficient security measures, allowing remote wiping of devices without proper authentication [13691]. 5. Amazon's account security measures failed to prevent unauthorized access, enabling hackers to add credit card information and change account settings [13691]. |
| Responsible Organization | 1. Apple's and Amazon's security systems were responsible for causing the software failure incident reported in the articles [13895, 13691]. |
| Impacted Organization | 1. Mat Honan's digital accounts including Google, Twitter, Apple iCloud, and Amazon account were impacted by the software failure incident [13895, 13691]. |
| Software Causes | 1. The software causes of the failure incident were related to security vulnerabilities in the systems of Amazon and Apple, which allowed hackers to exploit customer service procedures to gain unauthorized access to accounts and data [13691]. 2. The failure incident was also caused by flaws in data management policies in the technology industry, particularly in cloud-based systems, where password-based security mechanisms were no longer sufficient to prevent unauthorized access [13691]. |
| Non-software Causes | 1. Lack of proper security measures in customer service procedures at Amazon and Apple, allowing hackers to exploit the system and gain unauthorized access to accounts [13895, 13691]. 2. Failure of internal policies and procedures at Apple, leading to compromised security and unauthorized access to accounts [13895, 13691]. 3. Vulnerabilities in the mobile phone system, such as sim swap fraud, which allowed fraudsters to take over accounts via mobile phones [42806]. 4. Inadequate security checks and verification processes by O2 and Nationwide, leading to fraudulent activities and unauthorized access to accounts [42806]. |
| Impacts | 1. The software failure incident resulted in the hacking of the victim's accounts, including Google, Twitter, and Apple iCloud, leading to the deletion of data on his iPhone, iPad, and MacBook [13895]. 2. The incident caused the victim to lose important data, such as photos of his daughter's first year and other irreplaceable documents stored on his devices [13691]. 3. The hackers used the victim's accounts to post racist and homophobic messages on his Twitter page, causing reputational damage [13895]. 4. The victim experienced financial loss as the hackers were able to make fraudulent purchases using his bank account details linked to his mobile number [42806]. 5. The incident highlighted security flaws in customer service systems of companies like Apple and Amazon, exposing vulnerabilities in data management policies in the technology industry [13691]. 6. The victim expressed regret for not backing up his data and for daisy-chaining his accounts together, acknowledging his own responsibility in the security lapses [13691]. |
| Preventions | 1. Enabling two-factor authentication for the Google account could have prevented unauthorized access to the account and potentially stopped the chain of events that led to the software failure incident [13691]. 2. Using unique and strong passwords for different accounts, especially for critical accounts like AppleID, could have made it harder for hackers to gain access to multiple accounts [13691]. 3. Implementing stronger authentication methods for remote wiping of devices, such as requiring additional verification steps or a second method of authentication, could have prevented unauthorized remote wipes of devices like the MacBook [13691]. 4. Avoiding daisy-chaining accounts together, such as linking Google and iCloud accounts, could have reduced the impact of a single account compromise on multiple services [13691]. 5. Strengthening customer service procedures and verification processes, particularly for sensitive actions like password resets, could have prevented unauthorized access to accounts through social engineering tactics [13691]. 6. Improving security measures in place at companies like Amazon and Apple to prevent unauthorized access to accounts through customer service interactions, such as requiring more robust verification methods, could have mitigated the risk of account takeovers [13691]. |
| Fixes | 1. Implementing stronger authentication methods for account access, such as two-factor authentication, to prevent unauthorized access to accounts [13691]. 2. Enhancing customer service procedures to ensure that sensitive information like billing addresses and credit card details are not easily accessible or used for identity verification [13691]. 3. Improving data management policies and security measures in cloud-based systems to protect user data from unauthorized access and manipulation [13691]. 4. Enhancing security measures in online services like Apple and Amazon to prevent exploitation of customer service loopholes for hacking purposes [13691]. 5. Educating users on best practices for securing their accounts, such as regularly backing up data and avoiding daisy-chaining accounts together [13691]. | References | 1. Mat Honan's detailed account for Wired [13895] 2. John Ellard's experience reported by The Guardian [42806] 3. Mat Honan's personal account on his digital life destruction [13691] |
| Category | Option | Rationale |
|---|---|---|
| Recurring | one_organization, multiple_organization | (a) In the software failure incident reported in Article 13691, it is mentioned that the victim's AppleID account was compromised, allowing the hackers to remotely erase all the data on his iPhone, iPad, and MacBook. The incident highlighted vital security flaws in Apple's customer service systems, particularly in how easily the hackers were able to gain access to the victim's iCloud account through Apple tech support. The hacker was able to obtain the necessary information, including the billing address and the last four digits of the credit card number, to convince Apple's tech support to issue a temporary password, granting access to iCloud [13691]. (b) The software failure incident reported in Article 13895 also involved a similar method of exploiting customer service procedures, this time involving both Amazon and Apple. The hacker used Amazon's systems to break into the victim's Apple account by obtaining the billing address and the last four digits of the credit card number. This information allowed the hacker to gain access to the victim's iCloud account and remotely wipe all the data on the victim's Apple devices. The incident highlighted the security vulnerabilities in the interactions between Amazon and Apple systems, showcasing how such exploits can lead to devastating consequences for the victims [13895]. |
| Phase (Design/Operation) | design, operation | (a) In the software failure incident reported in Article 13691, the incident occurred due to contributing factors introduced during the design phase of the systems. The incident involved a series of security flaws in the customer service procedures employed by Apple and Amazon, which allowed hackers to exploit the systems and gain access to Mat Honan's digital devices and data. The hackers were able to manipulate the customer service processes of Amazon and Apple to obtain critical information such as billing addresses and the last four digits of credit card numbers, which ultimately led to the compromise of Honan's accounts [13691]. (b) Additionally, the software failure incident in Article 42806 highlights a failure due to contributing factors introduced during the operation phase of the system. In this case, fraudsters were able to take over John Ellard's O2 mobile account, switch his number to a new Apple handset, and use it to make fraudulent purchases. The fraudsters exploited vulnerabilities in the mobile phone system, including sim swap frauds, to gain access to Ellard's Nationwide bank account and carry out unauthorized transactions. The incident underscores the risks associated with relying on mobile numbers for security information and the potential misuse of the mobile network to access bank accounts [42806]. |
| Boundary (Internal/External) | within_system, outside_system | (a) The software failure incident reported in the articles is primarily within_system. The incident involved a series of hacks that exploited vulnerabilities within the systems of companies like Apple and Amazon. For example, the hackers were able to gain access to the victim's accounts by manipulating customer service procedures and security verification processes [Article 13895]. Additionally, the incident highlighted flaws in data management policies and security measures within the technology industry, particularly in the context of cloud-based systems [Article 13691]. (b) The software failure incident also involved contributing factors that originated from outside the system. For instance, the hackers used social engineering techniques to gather personal information about the victim, such as his billing address and the last four digits of his credit card number, which were then used to exploit weaknesses in the customer service procedures of Apple and Amazon [Article 13691]. Furthermore, the incident showcased how fraudsters targeted vulnerabilities in the mobile phone system, such as sim swap frauds, to gain unauthorized access to the victim's accounts [Article 42806]. |
| Nature (Human/Non-human) | non-human_actions, human_actions | (a) The software failure incident occurring due to non-human actions: - The software failure incident in Article 13691 was primarily due to non-human actions. The incident involved hackers exploiting vulnerabilities in the customer service procedures of Apple and Amazon to gain access to Mat Honan's digital devices and data. The hackers were able to remotely erase data on Honan's iPhone, iPad, and MacBook by exploiting security flaws in Apple's iCloud system [13691]. - The incident involved flaws in data management policies and security measures in cloud-based systems, highlighting the need for more robust security measures in the era of cloud computing and connected devices [13691]. (b) The software failure incident occurring due to human actions: - The software failure incident in Article 13895 was primarily due to human actions. The incident involved hackers exploiting a dangerous blind spot between the identity verification systems used by Amazon and Apple, allowing them to gain unauthorized access to Mat Honan's accounts [13895]. - The hackers used social engineering techniques to trick customer service representatives at Amazon and Apple into providing access to Honan's accounts by providing minimal information such as a billing address and the last four digits of a credit card number [13895]. |
| Dimension (Hardware/Software) | software | (a) The software failure incident occurring due to hardware: - The incident reported in the articles does not directly point to a software failure incident occurring due to hardware issues. The primary focus of the incident was on security vulnerabilities and breaches in the systems of companies like Apple and Amazon, leading to unauthorized access and data loss [Article 13895, Article 42806, Article 13691]. (b) The software failure incident occurring due to software: - The software failure incident reported in the articles is primarily attributed to security vulnerabilities and flaws in the software systems of companies like Apple and Amazon. These vulnerabilities allowed hackers to exploit customer service procedures and gain unauthorized access to accounts, leading to data loss and misuse [Article 13895, Article 42806, Article 13691]. |
| Objective (Malicious/Non-malicious) | malicious, non-malicious | (a) The software failure incident reported in the articles is primarily malicious in nature. The incident involved hackers exploiting security vulnerabilities in the systems of companies like Amazon and Apple to gain unauthorized access to personal accounts and devices. The hackers intentionally targeted the victim's accounts, including Google, Twitter, and Apple iCloud, with the objective of causing harm, such as deleting data, posting offensive messages, and taking control of digital devices [Article 13895, Article 13691]. (b) Additionally, the incident also highlights non-malicious contributing factors, such as the victim's own security lapses, like not backing up data, daisy-chaining accounts, and using the same email prefix across multiple accounts. These factors inadvertently facilitated the hackers' ability to compromise the victim's accounts. Furthermore, flaws in the customer service procedures of companies like Apple and Amazon also played a role in enabling the hackers to exploit the system [Article 13691]. |
| Intent (Poor/Accidental Decisions) | poor_decisions, accidental_decisions | (a) poor_decisions: Failure due to contributing factors introduced by poor decisions - The software failure incident involving the hacking of Mat Honan's accounts was primarily due to poor decisions made by the companies involved, particularly Apple and Amazon. The incident highlighted the dangerous blind spot between the identity verification systems used by these companies, allowing hackers to exploit the security gaps [Article 13895]. - Apple's tech support issued a temporary password to the hacker despite the caller's inability to answer security questions and providing only two easily discoverable pieces of information - the billing address and the last four digits of a credit card number. This lax verification process was a significant poor decision that contributed to the software failure incident [Article 13691]. (b) accidental_decisions: Failure due to contributing factors introduced by mistakes or unintended decisions - The software failure incident involving John Ellard's Nationwide account being emptied due to fraudsters taking over his O2 mobile account and linking it to a new Apple handset was a result of mistakes or unintended decisions made by the fraudsters. They were able to exploit vulnerabilities in the mobile phone system and gain access to Ellard's bank account details [Article 42806]. - The incident also involved accidental decisions made by Ellard, such as having his mobile number linked to his bank account and relying on the mobile network for security information, which ultimately led to the fraudulent purchases and account takeover [Article 42806]. |
| Capability (Incompetence/Accidental) | development_incompetence | (a) The software failure incident occurring due to development incompetence: - The incident involving the hacking of Mat Honan's accounts was a result of security flaws in the identity verification systems used by Amazon and Apple, allowing hackers to exploit the systems [13895]. - The incident highlighted flaws in data management policies in the technology industry, particularly in Apple's and Amazon's customer service systems, which were easily manipulated by hackers [13691]. (b) The software failure incident occurring accidentally: - The incident involving John Ellard's Nationwide account being emptied due to fraudsters taking over his O2 mobile account and linking it to a new Apple handset was a result of fraudsters targeting vulnerabilities in the mobile phone system [42806]. - The fraudsters were able to take over Ellard's bank account via his mobile phone by calling the phone provider and answering basic security questions, allowing them to intercept or initiate calls and texts as if they were Ellard [42806]. |
| Duration | permanent, temporary | From the provided articles, the software failure incident can be categorized as both permanent and temporary: Permanent Failure: - The software failure incident resulted in permanent consequences such as the deletion of data on various devices (iPhone, iPad, MacBook) and Google account [Article 13691]. - The hackers were able to wipe out data on the victim's devices remotely, leading to irreversible loss of data [Article 13691]. Temporary Failure: - The incident involved temporary access and control by the hackers to the victim's accounts and devices [Article 13691]. - The hackers were able to gain access to the victim's accounts and devices temporarily to carry out their malicious activities [Article 13691]. These incidents involved a combination of both permanent and temporary aspects in terms of the software failure and its consequences. |
| Behaviour | crash, omission, timing, value, other | (a) crash: The software failure incident described in the articles can be categorized as a crash. This is evident from the incident where the hacker remotely wiped all the data on the victim's iPhone, iPad, and MacBook using Apple's "Find My" tool [Article 13691]. This action resulted in the devices becoming unusable and losing their data, indicating a crash in the system's state. (b) omission: The incident also involves omission as a behavior of the software failure. The victim's Google account was taken over and deleted, Twitter account was compromised, and AppleID account was broken into, leading to the omission of intended functions such as data access and control [Article 13691]. (c) timing: Timing can be considered a factor in the software failure incident as well. The fraudsters were able to quickly wipe out the victim's bank account in a matter of hours after gaining access to his Nationwide account through his O2 mobile account and Apple Pay [Article 42806]. This indicates that the system performed its intended functions (fraudulent purchases) at an inappropriate time (too early). (d) value: The incident also involves a failure related to the system performing its intended functions incorrectly. The hackers gained access to the victim's iCloud account by exploiting customer service procedures employed by Apple and Amazon, allowing them to take over all of the victim's digital devices and data [Article 13691]. This unauthorized access and misuse of the system's functions represent a failure in value. (e) byzantine: The software failure incident does not exhibit behaviors related to a byzantine failure, which involves erroneous and inconsistent responses and interactions within a system. (f) other: The other behavior observed in the software failure incident is related to a security vulnerability that allowed the hackers to exploit the customer service procedures of Apple and Amazon to gain unauthorized access to the victim's accounts [Article 13691]. This vulnerability led to a breach of the system's security measures, resulting in the compromise of sensitive data and control over digital devices. |
| Layer | Option | Rationale |
|---|---|---|
| Perception | None | None |
| Communication | None | None |
| Application | None | None |
| Category | Option | Rationale |
|---|---|---|
| Consequence | property | (d) property: People's material goods, money, or data was impacted due to the software failure In the software failure incident reported in Article 13895, the consequences included the loss of data on the victim's Apple devices (iPhone, iPad, MacBook), deletion of Google account data, and unauthorized access to various accounts such as Amazon, Apple iCloud, Gmail, and Twitter. The hackers were able to remotely wipe the victim's devices, delete accounts, and post messages on social media accounts, causing significant property damage in terms of lost data and compromised accounts [13895]. Additionally, in Article 42806, a victim had £6,000 stolen from his Nationwide bank account after fraudsters took over his O2 mobile account and used it to make fraudulent purchases. The hackers were able to access the victim's bank account details, register him for telephone banking, and link his stolen phone number to a new Apple Pay account to clear out his bank account. This incident resulted in financial loss and property damage due to unauthorized access to the victim's bank account [42806]. |
| Domain | information, finance | (a) The failed system was intended to support the industry of information, specifically related to the production and distribution of information. The incident involved hacking into various digital accounts, including Google, Twitter, Apple iCloud, and Gmail, which are all platforms used for information sharing and communication [Article 13895, Article 13691]. (h) The failed system was also related to the finance industry, as it involved fraudulent activities that led to the unauthorized access and misuse of financial information. The hackers were able to gain access to bank accounts, increase overdraft limits, and make fraudulent purchases using stolen financial details [Article 42806]. (m) Additionally, the incident can be associated with the technology industry, as it exposed security flaws in customer service systems of tech giants like Apple and Amazon. The exploitation of these systems led to the compromise of digital devices and data, highlighting vulnerabilities in cloud computing and connected devices [Article 13691]. |
Article ID: 13895
Article ID: 42806
Article ID: 13691