| Recurring |
one_organization, multiple_organization |
(a) The software failure incident having happened again at one_organization:
- Marianna Kolokotroni, the owner of Oliveology, experienced her website being hacked again, causing stress and disrupting her holiday plans [29038].
(b) The software failure incident having happened again at multiple_organization:
- The article mentions that Marianna Kolokotroni's experience is not unique, as millions of small business owners like her are facing similar challenges with cyber security breaches [29038]. |
| Phase (Design/Operation) |
design, operation |
(a) The article mentions that the website of Oliveology, a small business, was hacked, leading to a black screen and the inability to access the site. The owner mentioned that she hadn't had much money to spend on updating the website and was planning to do so in the coming year. This indicates a failure due to contributing factors introduced by system development or lack of updates [29038].
(b) The incident also highlights the impact of the cyber attack on the operation of the businesses. For example, the owner of Oliveology had to disable features on the site, including her blog, to make it secure and get it up and running again. Additionally, the director of the Monmouthshire Business Awards mentioned that the hack on their event's website could have jeopardized the entire awards ceremony, leading to a tight timeline for operations. This indicates a failure due to contributing factors introduced by the operation or misuse of the system [29038]. |
| Boundary (Internal/External) |
within_system |
(a) within_system: The software failure incident reported in the articles is primarily due to factors originating from within the system. The incident involved the hacking of small business websites, such as Oliveology and Lincoln Wills, leading to black screens and disruptions in website functionality [29038]. The article highlights the importance of small businesses understanding the value of their data and taking steps to enhance cybersecurity within their systems, such as implementing anti-malware, anti-spam, and firewall software to block potential vulnerabilities [29038]. Additionally, the advice given to small business owners emphasizes the need to assess weak spots within their systems and take proactive measures to protect customer and corporate information [29038]. The incident showcases how internal system vulnerabilities can be exploited by external threats, leading to software failures. |
| Nature (Human/Non-human) |
non-human_actions, human_actions |
(a) The software failure incident in the article was primarily due to non-human actions, specifically a cyber security breach where the website was hacked by malicious software [29038]. The incident was a result of external factors introduced without human participation, leading to the website being compromised and causing stress and disruption to the business owner.
(b) Additionally, human actions played a role in the software failure incident as the business owner mentioned that she had not allocated enough resources to update and secure the website, which could have potentially prevented the hack [29038]. The lack of proactive measures taken by the owner in terms of website security contributed to the vulnerability that was exploited by the hackers. |
| Dimension (Hardware/Software) |
software |
(a) The articles do not provide specific information about a software failure incident occurring due to hardware issues [29038].
(b) The software failure incident reported in the articles is related to a hack, specifically a cyber security breach where the website of small business owners like Marianna Kolokotroni and David Dexter was hacked [29038]. This incident originated from software-related factors such as vulnerabilities in the website's security, making it susceptible to malicious attacks. |
| Objective (Malicious/Non-malicious) |
malicious |
(a) The software failure incident described in the articles is malicious in nature. The incident involved a hack on multiple small business websites, including Oliveology and Lincoln Wills, where the owners discovered their websites had been hacked with messages indicating the breach. The article highlights the increasing use of malware for cyber attacks, with small businesses being targeted for valuable information stored on their websites, such as user names and passwords [29038]. The incident caused stress and disruption to the business owners, impacting their reputation and potentially leading to financial losses. The need for businesses to take cyber security seriously and the launch of initiatives like Cyber Essentials to guide businesses on protecting against cyber attacks further emphasize the malicious nature of the software failure incident. |
| Intent (Poor/Accidental Decisions) |
poor_decisions |
(a) The software failure incident reported in the articles is related to poor_decisions. The incident involved small businesses being targeted by hackers due to inadequate cyber security measures and lack of updates to their websites. The owner of Oliveology mentioned that she hadn't had much money to spend on updating her website, which made it vulnerable to attacks [29038]. Additionally, the article highlighted the importance of small businesses understanding the value of their data and taking proactive steps to enhance cyber security to prevent such incidents in the future. |
| Capability (Incompetence/Accidental) |
development_incompetence, accidental |
(a) The article discusses a software failure incident where a website owned by Marianna Kolokotroni was hacked, leading to a black screen and inability to access the site [29038]. The incident highlights the lack of professional competence in terms of cybersecurity measures taken by small businesses. Kolokotroni mentions that she hadn't allocated much budget for updating her website's security, indicating a lack of awareness or investment in cybersecurity measures. This incident showcases a failure due to contributing factors introduced by the lack of professional competence in handling cybersecurity threats.
(b) The article also mentions another software failure incident where David Dexter, owner of Lincoln Wills, discovered his website had been hacked with a message displayed on a black screen [29038]. This accidental incident could have had damaging consequences for his reputation if customers had visited the site during the hack. The accidental nature of this failure is evident from Dexter's surprise and discomfort upon discovering the hack, as he mentioned feeling sick about the situation. |
| Duration |
temporary |
(a) The software failure incident described in the articles seems to be more of a temporary nature rather than permanent. The incident involved a hack on the websites of small businesses, causing them to be inaccessible or defaced temporarily. For example, Marianna Kolokotroni's website was hacked, leading to a black screen that prevented her from accessing it [29038]. Similarly, David Dexter's website displayed a message indicating it had been hacked, causing concern and embarrassment [29038].
These incidents were not described as permanent failures but rather as temporary disruptions that required immediate action to address the security breach and restore the websites to their normal functioning. The temporary nature of these failures is evident from the fact that the affected businesses took steps to disable certain features, enhance security measures, and inform customers about the breach to mitigate the impact [29038]. |
| Behaviour |
crash, omission, other |
(a) crash: The article mentions a software failure incident where the owner of Oliveology's website was hacked, resulting in her being unable to access the website and getting stuck on a black screen. This aligns with the definition of a crash, where the system loses state and does not perform its intended functions [29038].
(b) omission: The incident involving Oliveology's hacked website led to the owner having to disable features on the site, including her blog, to make it secure and get it up and running again. This can be seen as a failure due to the system omitting to perform its intended functions at that instance [29038].
(c) timing: The article does not specifically mention any instances of a failure due to the system performing its intended functions too late or too early.
(d) value: The software failure incident described in the article does not directly relate to the system performing its intended functions incorrectly.
(e) byzantine: The article does not provide information about the software failure incident exhibiting behaviors of inconsistent responses and interactions, characteristic of a byzantine failure.
(f) other: The software failure incident described in the article involved a hack that resulted in the website being inaccessible and the owner having to take measures to secure it. This could be categorized as a security breach, which may fall under the "other" category of software failure behaviors [29038]. |