| Recurring |
unknown |
(a) The software failure incident related to the iPhone bug allowing access to locked photos by setting the clock to a past date has not been explicitly mentioned to have happened again within the same organization (Apple) or with its products and services in the provided article [9540].
(b) The article does not mention any instances of the software failure incident happening at other organizations or with their products and services either. Therefore, there is no information provided about similar incidents occurring at multiple organizations [9540]. |
| Phase (Design/Operation) |
design |
(a) The software failure incident in the article is related to the design phase. The bug discovered in iOS 5 that allowed locked iPhone photos to be viewed by setting the clock to a past date was a result of a design flaw in the system. The issue arose from how the system handled time stamps and security restrictions based on the device's clock setting. The bug was a consequence of the system design that did not adequately account for scenarios where the clock might be set incorrectly or rolled back, leading to a security vulnerability [9540].
(b) The software failure incident in the article is not related to the operation phase. There is no indication in the article that the failure was caused by the operation or misuse of the system. Instead, the incident was attributed to a design flaw in the iOS 5 system that allowed access to locked iPhone photos by manipulating the device's clock setting [9540]. |
| Boundary (Internal/External) |
within_system |
(a) within_system: The software failure incident described in the article is primarily within the system. The bug in iOS 5 that allowed locked iPhones to display photos when the clock was set to a past date originated from within the system itself. The issue was related to how the iPhone handled time stamps and how changing the clock could impact the security of the device. The bug was identified by a tech consultant who discovered the problem and highlighted potential scenarios where the iPhone's clock could be manipulated, leading to the exposure of images [9540]. |
| Nature (Human/Non-human) |
non-human_actions |
(a) The software failure incident in the article is related to non-human actions. The bug in iOS 5 allowed photos on a locked iPhone to be viewable if the phone's clock was set to the past. This bug was discovered by a Canadian tech consultant, Ade Barkah, who highlighted that if the iPhone's clock ever rolled back, images with timestamps newer than the iPhone's clock would be viewable from the locked phone. The potential causes mentioned for the clock rolling back included accidental date setting during travel across time zones, iPhone glitch resetting the clock to epoch time, infrastructure errors like erroneous external time sources, and the possibility of an app changing the clock, all of which are non-human factors contributing to the software failure incident [9540].
(b) The software failure incident in the article is not directly related to human actions introducing contributing factors. The focus is on the bug in iOS 5 that allowed access to locked iPhone photos by manipulating the clock settings, with the emphasis on non-human factors like time zone changes, glitches, infrastructure errors, and app interactions leading to the security vulnerability [9540]. |
| Dimension (Hardware/Software) |
hardware, software |
(a) The software failure incident in the article is related to hardware factors. The incident was caused by a bug in iOS 5 that allowed photos on a locked iPhone to be viewable if the phone's clock was set to a date in the past. The article mentions potential scenarios where hardware issues like a software or hardware glitch could reset the iPhone's clock, leading to the exposure of images on the locked phone [9540].
(b) The software failure incident in the article is also related to software factors. The bug in iOS 5 that allowed access to locked iPhone photos by setting the clock to the past is a software issue. The article highlights the importance of not relying solely on a simple timestamp for security measures and emphasizes the need for the system to fail-secure in case of clock manipulation by software or apps [9540]. |
| Objective (Malicious/Non-malicious) |
non-malicious |
(a) The software failure incident described in the article is non-malicious. The incident was caused by a bug in iOS 5 that allowed photos on a locked iPhone to be viewable if the phone's clock was set to a date in the past. The bug was discovered by a Canadian tech consultant who highlighted the issue on his blog during a motorcycle trip [9540]. The incident was not a result of malicious intent but rather a flaw in the software that could potentially compromise the security of the device. |
| Intent (Poor/Accidental Decisions) |
poor_decisions, accidental_decisions |
(a) The software failure incident described in the article can be attributed to poor_decisions. The incident was caused by a bug in iOS 5 that allowed locked iPhones to display photos when the phone's clock was set to a date in the past. This issue arose due to the reliance on a simple time stamp to restrict image access, which proved to be a security vulnerability. The article suggests that Apple should not have designed the system in a way that changing the iPhone's clock, whether forward or backward, could compromise its security. This poor decision in the software design led to the exposure of images on locked iPhones under certain conditions [9540].
(b) Additionally, the incident could also be linked to accidental_decisions. The article mentions scenarios where the iPhone's clock could be set incorrectly by users traveling across time zones, leading to unintended consequences. It also highlights the possibility of an iPhone glitch or infrastructure error that could reset the clock to a different time, exposing all images on the device. These accidental decisions or events, such as a software or hardware issue resetting the clock, contributed to the software failure incident described in the article [9540]. |
| Capability (Incompetence/Accidental) |
development_incompetence, accidental |
(a) The software failure incident in the article can be attributed to development incompetence. The bug in iOS 5 that allowed locked iPhone photos to be viewed by setting the clock to the past was discovered by a Canadian tech consultant. The consultant highlighted various scenarios where the iPhone's clock could roll back, exposing images on the locked phone. These scenarios included accidental date setting during travel, potential glitches in the iPhone's software or hardware resetting the clock, errors in external time sources, and the possibility of an app changing the clock. The consultant emphasized that Apple should not rely solely on a simple timestamp for security and that the system should be designed to fail-secure even if the clock does not always move forward as expected [9540].
(b) The software failure incident can also be considered accidental as it was mentioned that someone traveling across time zones could accidentally set the date incorrectly, leading to the exposure of locked iPhone photos. Additionally, the potential for an iPhone glitch or infrastructure error, such as syncing from an erroneous external time source, could also inadvertently reset the iPhone's clock to a point where all images become accessible on the locked phone [9540]. |
| Duration |
temporary |
The software failure incident described in the article [9540] can be categorized as a temporary failure. The incident occurred due to a specific bug in iOS 5 that allowed locked iPhones to display photos when the phone's clock was set to a date in the past. This issue was not a permanent failure but rather a temporary one caused by the specific circumstance of the clock being set incorrectly or rolled back, enabling unauthorized access to photos on the locked device. The incident was not a permanent failure introduced by all circumstances but rather a temporary failure caused by certain specific conditions. |
| Behaviour |
timing, other |
(a) crash: The software failure incident described in the article is not related to a crash where the system loses state and does not perform any of its intended functions. The incident involves a bug in iOS 5 that allows photos on a locked iPhone to be viewable when the phone's clock is set to a date in the past [9540].
(b) omission: The software failure incident is not related to omission, where the system omits to perform its intended functions at an instance(s). Instead, the bug in iOS 5 allows access to locked iPhone photos when the clock is set to a past date, which is an unintended behavior [9540].
(c) timing: The software failure incident is related to a timing issue. Changing the date on the iPhone to a past point allows users to view photos taken after that date, indicating a timing-related flaw in the system's security mechanism [9540].
(d) value: The software failure incident is not related to a value failure where the system performs its intended functions incorrectly. The issue here is not about incorrect functioning but rather about unauthorized access to photos due to a bug related to the phone's clock setting [9540].
(e) byzantine: The software failure incident is not related to a byzantine failure where the system behaves erroneously with inconsistent responses and interactions. The bug in iOS 5 described in the article allows consistent unauthorized access to photos under specific conditions [9540].
(f) other: The behavior of the software failure incident can be categorized as a security vulnerability. The bug in iOS 5 allows unauthorized access to photos on a locked iPhone when the clock is set to a past date, highlighting a security flaw in the system's design [9540]. |