| Recurring |
unknown |
(a) The software failure incident related to GPS spoofing on the superyacht by the University of Texas students does not mention any similar incident happening again within the same organization or with its products and services. Therefore, there is no evidence of this specific incident happening again at the University of Texas.
(b) The article does not provide information about a similar incident happening at other organizations or with their products and services. Hence, there is no mention of this specific GPS spoofing incident occurring at multiple organizations. |
| Phase (Design/Operation) |
design, operation |
(a) The software failure incident in the article can be attributed to the design phase. The failure occurred due to the development of a custom GPS spoofing device by the research team at the University of Texas. This device was designed to override the GPS signal received by the superyacht, leading to the navigation system being taken over and the yacht being steered off course. The incident highlights the vulnerability of ships and other equipment to navigation attacks introduced through the design of such spoofing devices [20438].
(b) The software failure incident can also be linked to the operation phase. The failure was a result of the operation of the custom GPS spoofing device by the two students aboard the yacht. They used the device to broadcast false GPS signals towards the yacht's GPS antennas, overpowering the authentic signals and gaining control of the ship's system. This operation of the spoofing device led to the navigation system showing incorrect information to the crew, causing the yacht to be moved off course without triggering any alarms [20438]. |
| Boundary (Internal/External) |
within_system |
(a) within_system: The software failure incident in this case falls under the within_system category. The failure was caused by the research team at the University of Texas creating a custom GPS spoofing device that allowed them to take over the navigation system of the superyacht. The spoofing device was designed to override the GPS signal received by the yacht, leading to the navigation equipment being manipulated without triggering any alarms. This manipulation of the navigation system was a result of the within-system factors, specifically the creation and deployment of the GPS spoofing device by the research team [20438]. |
| Nature (Human/Non-human) |
non-human_actions, human_actions |
(a) The software failure incident in this case occurred due to non-human actions. The failure was caused by a custom GPS spoofing device created by students from the University of Texas. This device allowed them to take over the navigation system of a superyacht by broadcasting false GPS signals that overpowered the authentic signals received from satellites, leading to the ship being steered off course without triggering any alarms [20438].
(b) Human actions were also involved in this incident as the students aboard the yacht used the GPS spoofing device to manipulate the navigation system and trick the crew into believing the ship was on a straight course when it had actually turned. The experiment was conducted by the research team at the University of Texas led by assistant professor Todd Humphreys, highlighting the vulnerability of ships and other equipment to navigation attacks orchestrated by humans [20438]. |
| Dimension (Hardware/Software) |
hardware |
(a) The software failure incident occurring due to hardware:
- The incident reported in the article [20438] involved a software failure that originated from hardware. The University of Texas research team created a custom GPS spoofing device, which was a hardware device, to override the GPS signal received by the superyacht's navigation system. This hardware device allowed the team to take control of the ship's navigation equipment by broadcasting false GPS signals that overpowered the authentic signals received from satellites.
(b) The software failure incident occurring due to software:
- The software failure incident in the article [20438] did not occur due to contributing factors originating in software. The failure was a result of the custom GPS spoofing device, a hardware device, manipulating the GPS signals received by the superyacht's navigation system. The incident did not involve a software bug, fault, error, or glitch as the primary contributing factor. |
| Objective (Malicious/Non-malicious) |
malicious |
(a) The objective of the software failure incident was malicious. The incident involved students from the University of Texas creating a custom GPS spoofing device with the intent to take over a superyacht's navigation system. The research team led by assistant professor Todd Humphreys used the GPS spoofing device to override the GPS signal received by the superyacht, steering the boat off course without triggering any alarms on the navigation equipment. This experiment was part of a project to highlight the vulnerability of ships and other equipment to navigation attacks, demonstrating the potential harm that can be caused by maliciously manipulating GPS signals [20438]. |
| Intent (Poor/Accidental Decisions) |
unknown |
(a) The intent of the software failure incident was not due to poor decisions but rather intentional actions taken by the research team at the University of Texas. They designed a custom GPS spoofing device with the intent to demonstrate the vulnerability of ships and other equipment to navigation attacks. The team successfully took over the navigation equipment of a superyacht off the coast of Italy by overriding the GPS signal received by the yacht, showcasing the potential risks associated with GPS spoofing [20438].
(b) The software failure incident was not a result of accidental decisions or mistakes. It was a deliberate experiment conducted by the research team to highlight the ease with which a marine vessel's navigation system could be spoofed. The team intentionally used the GPS spoofing device to take control of the superyacht's navigation system, demonstrating the potential security vulnerabilities in GPS technology [20438]. |
| Capability (Incompetence/Accidental) |
development_incompetence, accidental |
(a) The software failure incident in the article can be attributed to development incompetence. The students from the University of Texas created a custom GPS spoofing device that allowed them to take over a superyacht's navigation system by overriding the GPS signal received by the yacht. This act was part of a project led by assistant professor Todd Humphreys, demonstrating the vulnerability of ships to navigation attacks. The incident showcases how the lack of professional competence in securing GPS systems can lead to such exploits [20438].
(b) The software failure incident can also be considered accidental in nature. The experiment conducted by the research team at the University of Texas was aimed at highlighting the vulnerability of ships and other equipment to navigation attacks. The team used a custom GPS spoofing device to trick the ship's navigation system, showing it was off course while the display indicated a straight line. This accidental manipulation of the navigation system demonstrates how easily such incidents can occur due to accidental actions or oversights [20438]. |
| Duration |
temporary |
(a) The software failure incident described in the article was temporary. The students from the University of Texas created a custom GPS spoofing device that allowed them to take over a superyacht's navigation system, changing its course temporarily. They were able to trick the ship's navigation system into showing that it was a few degrees off course, but the display showed a straight course even though the boat had physically turned. This temporary manipulation of the navigation system highlights the vulnerability of ships and other equipment to such navigation attacks [20438]. |
| Behaviour |
value, other |
(a) crash: The software failure incident in the article did not involve a crash where the system lost state and did not perform any of its intended functions. The incident was more related to manipulation of the navigation system rather than a complete failure of the system itself.
(b) omission: The incident did not involve the system omitting to perform its intended functions at an instance(s). Instead, the system was manipulated to perform unintended functions by spoofing the GPS signals.
(c) timing: The incident did not involve the system performing its intended functions correctly, but too late or too early. The manipulation of the navigation system was intentional and not related to timing issues.
(d) value: The software failure incident falls under the category of the system performing its intended functions incorrectly. The GPS spoofing device allowed the students to take over the navigation system of the superyacht and steer it off course, displaying false information to the crew while physically changing the yacht's direction [20438].
(e) byzantine: The incident did not exhibit behavior where the system behaved erroneously with inconsistent responses and interactions. The manipulation of the navigation system was consistent in its goal to deceive the crew about the yacht's actual course.
(f) other: The behavior of the software failure incident in the article can be categorized as a deliberate manipulation of the system through the use of a custom GPS spoofing device. This type of behavior could be considered as a form of cyber attack or hacking, where the system is compromised to display false information and deceive the users [20438]. |