| Recurring |
one_organization, multiple_organization |
(a) The software failure incident related to Nest Labs' Nest Protect smoke and carbon monoxide detector being halted due to safety concerns with the Nest Wave feature is an example of a failure within the same organization. This incident led to Nest Labs stopping sales of the product and deactivating the feature remotely on detectors already purchased [26409].
(b) The broader context of the incident highlights the potential for similar issues to arise with connected home products from various organizations as technology continues to advance. The article mentions the Internet of things and the increasing number of internet-connected devices in homes, raising concerns about security risks and the possibility of glitches and teething pains in all these connected devices [26409]. |
| Phase (Design/Operation) |
design |
(a) The software failure incident related to the design phase can be seen in the article. Nest Labs halted sales of its smoke and carbon monoxide detector, Nest Protect, due to a problem with a feature called Nest Wave. This feature allowed users to temporarily disable the alarm by waving their hands in front of the detector. However, the company discovered that this feature could be unintentionally activated, potentially delaying the alarm from going off in the event of a fire. This issue was attributed to a design flaw in the software that misinterpreted movements near the product, leading to the unintended silencing of the alarm [26409].
(b) The software failure incident related to the operation phase is not explicitly mentioned in the article. |
| Boundary (Internal/External) |
within_system |
(a) within_system: The software failure incident with Nest Labs' smoke and carbon monoxide detector was due to a feature within the system itself. The problem stemmed from a feature called Nest Wave, which allowed users to temporarily disable the alarm by waving their hands in front of the detector. This feature had a flaw where movements near the product that were not intended as a wave could be misinterpreted by the detector's software algorithms, potentially delaying the alarm in the event of a fire [26409].
(b) outside_system: The software failure incident was not primarily caused by factors originating from outside the system. The issue was related to an internal feature of the product itself, the Nest Wave, and how it interacted with the software algorithms of the smoke and carbon monoxide detector [26409]. |
| Nature (Human/Non-human) |
non-human_actions, human_actions |
(a) The software failure incident related to non-human actions in this case was due to a feature called Nest Wave on Nest's smoke and carbon monoxide detector. The feature allowed users to temporarily disable the alarm by waving their hands in front of the detector. However, the company discovered that this feature could be unintentionally activated, potentially delaying the alarm from going off in the event of a fire. This issue was identified through laboratory tests and unique circumstances that made the company question the reliability of the alarm system [26409].
(b) The software failure incident related to human actions in this case was the decision by Nest Labs to halt sales of the Nest Protect product and deactivate the Nest Wave feature remotely on already purchased smoke detectors. This decision was made by the chief executive, Tony Fadell, in response to safety concerns raised by the potential unintentional activation of the alarm silencing feature. Additionally, the company announced it would send software updates to customers to turn the wave feature back on once a fix was developed and offered refunds to customers who wanted to return the product [26409]. |
| Dimension (Hardware/Software) |
hardware, software |
(a) The software failure incident related to hardware can be seen in the article as Nest Labs halted sales of its smoke and carbon monoxide detector, Nest Protect, due to safety concerns regarding a feature that lets people temporarily disable the alarm by waving their hands in front of the detector. This hardware-related issue was identified as potentially delaying the alarm from going off in case of a fire, indicating a failure originating in the hardware design of the product [26409].
(b) The software failure incident related to software can be observed in the article as Nest Labs deactivated the feature, called Nest Wave, remotely on smoke detectors already purchased. The issue stemmed from the software algorithms misinterpreting movements near the product that were not intended as a wave, leading to the unintentional silencing of the alarm. This software-related problem highlights a failure originating in the software programming of the product [26409]. |
| Objective (Malicious/Non-malicious) |
non-malicious |
(a) The software failure incident related to Nest Labs' Nest Protect smoke and carbon monoxide detector was non-malicious. The failure was due to a problem with a feature called Nest Wave that allowed users to temporarily disable the alarm by waving their hands in front of the detector. This feature could be unintentionally activated, potentially delaying the alarm from going off in the event of a fire. Nest Labs took proactive steps to address the safety concerns by halting sales of the product, deactivating the feature remotely on already purchased detectors, and offering refunds to customers who wanted to return the product. They also planned to send software updates to re-enable the wave feature once a fix was developed [26409].
The incident was not caused by malicious intent but rather by a design flaw in the software that could have unintended consequences in real-life emergency situations. |
| Intent (Poor/Accidental Decisions) |
accidental_decisions |
(a) The software failure incident related to Nest Labs' smoke and carbon monoxide detector, Nest Protect, was not due to poor decisions but rather due to safety concerns regarding a feature that allowed users to temporarily disable the alarm by waving their hands in front of the detector. The company halted sales of the product and deactivated the feature remotely to address the potential risk of unintentional activation, which could delay the alarm in case of a fire [26409].
(b) The software failure incident was more aligned with accidental decisions or unintended consequences rather than poor decisions. The issue arose from a unique combination of circumstances that made the company question the reliability of the wave feature in silencing the alarm. The company mentioned that movements near the product that were not intended as a wave could be misinterpreted by the detector's software algorithms, leading to the unintentional silencing of the alarm [26409]. |
| Capability (Incompetence/Accidental) |
development_incompetence, accidental |
(a) The software failure incident related to development incompetence is evident in the article as Nest Labs had to halt sales of its smoke and carbon monoxide detector, Nest Protect, due to a problem with a feature that allowed users to temporarily disable the alarm by waving their hands in front of the detector. This feature, called Nest Wave, was found to potentially delay the alarm from going off in case of a fire, raising safety concerns. The issue was attributed to a unique combination of circumstances that made the alarm unintentionally silenced, indicating a lack of professional competence in the development of this feature [26409].
(b) The software failure incident related to accidental factors is also present in the article as Nest Labs deactivated the Nest Wave feature remotely on smoke detectors already purchased to prevent any unintentional activations. The company acknowledged that movements near the product not intended as a wave could be misinterpreted by the detector's software algorithms, leading to accidental silencing of the alarm. This accidental introduction of contributing factors led to the need for immediate action to address the safety concerns [26409]. |
| Duration |
temporary |
The software failure incident related to the Nest Protect smoke and carbon monoxide detector involved a temporary failure. The issue was with a feature called Nest Wave that allowed users to temporarily disable the alarm by waving their hands in front of the detector. This feature was found to have a problem where it could be unintentionally activated, potentially delaying the alarm from going off in case of a fire. As a response to this issue, Nest immediately deactivated the feature on detectors already purchased and stated that the smoke and carbon monoxide detection capabilities would continue to function. They also mentioned sending software updates to existing customers to turn the wave feature back on once a fix was developed ([26409]). |
| 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. The Nest Protect smoke and carbon monoxide detector did not completely fail to function; rather, the issue was related to a specific feature that could potentially delay the alarm from going off in case of a fire [Article 26409].
(b) omission: The software failure incident does not involve omission where the system omits to perform its intended functions at an instance(s). The Nest Protect detector was designed to detect smoke and carbon monoxide, and these core functions were not compromised. The issue was related to a specific feature that allowed users to temporarily disable the alarm, not the core detection capabilities [Article 26409].
(c) timing: The software failure incident does not involve timing issues where the system performs its intended functions correctly but too late or too early. The core functions of smoke and carbon monoxide detection were not affected in terms of timing; the concern was related to a feature that could potentially delay the alarm from going off if activated unintentionally [Article 26409].
(d) value: The software failure incident does not involve a failure due to the system performing its intended functions incorrectly. The core functions of detecting smoke and carbon monoxide were not compromised; the issue was related to a specific feature that could potentially impact the effectiveness of the alarm system [Article 26409].
(e) byzantine: The software failure incident does not exhibit a byzantine behavior where the system behaves erroneously with inconsistent responses and interactions. The issue with the Nest Protect detector was related to a specific feature that could be unintentionally activated, potentially delaying the alarm, rather than exhibiting inconsistent or erratic behavior [Article 26409].
(f) other: The software failure incident can be categorized as a failure related to a specific feature of the system that posed a safety concern. The Nest Wave feature, which allowed users to temporarily disable the alarm by waving their hands, was the source of the problem. The issue was not a complete system failure but rather a specific functionality that needed to be addressed to ensure the effectiveness of the alarm system [Article 26409]. |