| Recurring |
one_organization, multiple_organization |
(a) The software failure incident having happened again at one_organization:
- Gemalto experienced hacking attempts in 2010 and 2011, where an unknown third party, believed to be an American or British intelligence agency, tried to spy on its communications network [33348].
- Gemalto was targeted by the NSA and GCHQ in 2010, with the breach giving the agencies access to billions of cellphones globally by stealing encryption keys [33518].
(b) The software failure incident having happened again at multiple_organization:
- The NSA and GCHQ have been involved in various hacking activities targeting different organizations and individuals, as revealed by Edward Snowden's leaks [33348, 33518].
- The Snowden leaks also indicated that other tech companies like Google and Facebook were infiltrated by American and British intelligence agencies [33348]. |
| Phase (Design/Operation) |
design, operation |
(a) The software failure incident related to the design phase can be seen in the articles as the American and British intelligence agencies hacked into Gemalto's networks, targeting the SIM card encryption codes. This breach occurred due to vulnerabilities in Gemalto's systems that were exploited by the intelligence agencies [33348, 33518].
(b) The software failure incident related to the operation phase is evident in the articles as the NSA and GCHQ were able to secretly monitor voice calls and data on billions of cellphones worldwide by stealing encryption keys from Gemalto. This unauthorized monitoring was made possible by the operation of the hacked keys, allowing intelligence agencies to access communications without the approval or knowledge of telecom companies and foreign governments [33348, 33518]. |
| Boundary (Internal/External) |
within_system |
(a) within_system: The software failure incident reported in the articles is primarily due to contributing factors that originate from within the system. The failure occurred as a result of American and British intelligence agencies hacking into Gemalto's networks, stealing encryption keys, and gaining access to billions of cellphones worldwide [33348, 33518]. Gemalto, the world's largest producer of cellphone SIM cards, experienced intrusions into its networks, leading to the compromise of SIM card encryption codes and potential access to mobile voice and data communications [33348]. The breach involved the theft of encryption keys that allowed the intelligence agencies to monitor cellular communications without the knowledge or approval of telecom companies and foreign governments [33518].
(b) outside_system: There is no indication in the articles that the software failure incident was primarily due to contributing factors originating from outside the system. |
| 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 the articles was primarily due to hacking by American and British intelligence agencies into Gemalto's networks, resulting in the theft of encryption keys that allowed them to monitor mobile communications [33348, 33518].
- The breach involved the agencies gaining access to SIM card encryption codes, potentially affecting millions of SIM cards [33348].
- The hack gave the intelligence agencies the ability to collect mobile voice and data communications without the permission of governments or telecommunications providers [33348].
- The breach allowed the agencies to monitor a large portion of the world's cellular communications, violating international laws [33518].
- The stolen encryption keys enabled intelligence agencies to monitor mobile communications without the approval or knowledge of telecom companies and foreign governments [33518].
(b) The software failure incident occurring due to human actions:
- The software failure incident was a result of deliberate hacking by the American and British intelligence agencies, indicating human actions as the cause of the breach [33348, 33518].
- The intelligence agencies targeted Gemalto's systems through a clandestine operation, including planting malware on computers and hacking into private accounts of employees [33518].
- The breach involved human actions such as targeting specific individuals within Gemalto and hacking their private accounts to obtain encryption keys [33518].
- The hack was facilitated by the actions of the Mobile Handset Exploitation Team (MHET), a unit formed by the NSA and GCHQ to target vulnerabilities in cell phones [33518]. |
| Dimension (Hardware/Software) |
software |
(a) The articles do not mention any software failure incident related to hardware issues.
(b) The software failure incident reported in the articles is related to a hack into Gemalto's networks by American and British intelligence agencies, specifically the NSA and GCHQ. This hack involved stealing encryption keys from Gemalto, a SIM card manufacturer, which allowed the agencies to monitor cellular communications worldwide without the knowledge or approval of telecom companies and foreign governments. The breach was facilitated by planting malware on Gemalto's computers and targeting the email and Facebook accounts of Gemalto employees and other telecom executives [33348, 33518]. |
| Objective (Malicious/Non-malicious) |
malicious |
(a) The software failure incident reported in the articles is malicious in nature. Both Article 33348 and Article 33518 describe how American and British intelligence agencies, specifically the NSA and GCHQ, hacked into Gemalto, a major SIM card manufacturer, with the intent to gain unauthorized access to billions of cellphones globally. The agencies stole encryption keys, allowing them to monitor voice calls and data without the knowledge or approval of telecom companies and foreign governments. This hacking incident was part of a larger surveillance program conducted by the intelligence agencies, as revealed by documents provided by Edward Snowden [33348, 33518]. The breach was intentional and aimed at undermining the security and privacy of mobile communications on a massive scale. |
| Intent (Poor/Accidental Decisions) |
poor_decisions |
(a) The intent of the software failure incident:
- The software failure incident involving the hacking of Gemalto by American and British intelligence agencies was primarily due to poor decisions made by these agencies to engage in unauthorized surveillance activities [33348, 33518].
- The NSA and GCHQ hacked into Gemalto to steal encryption keys, allowing them to monitor cellular communications without proper authorization, violating international laws and privacy rights [33348, 33518].
- The breach gave the agencies unfettered access to billions of cellphones globally, indicating a deliberate decision to compromise the security and privacy of individuals using these devices [33348, 33518].
- The hack involved planting malware on Gemalto's computers and targeting key individuals within the company, demonstrating a premeditated effort to gain unauthorized access to sensitive information [33518]. |
| Capability (Incompetence/Accidental) |
accidental |
(a) The articles do not provide information about the software failure incident occurring due to development incompetence.
(b) The software failure incident reported in the articles was accidental. The incident involved American and British intelligence agencies hacking into Gemalto, a major SIM card manufacturer, in an attempt to gain access to worldwide mobile phone communications. This breach was accidental and unauthorized, leading to the theft of encryption keys that allowed the agencies to monitor voice calls and data on billions of cellphones globally [33348, 33518]. |
| Duration |
permanent |
(a) The software failure incident in the articles can be categorized as permanent. The hacking into Gemalto's systems by American and British intelligence agencies resulted in the theft of encryption keys, giving them unfettered access to billions of cellphones globally [33518]. The breach allowed the agencies to secretly monitor a large portion of the world's cellular communications, violating international laws [33518]. The stolen encryption keys would enable intelligence agencies to monitor mobile communications without the approval or knowledge of telecom companies and foreign governments [33518]. Gemalto was targeted by the Mobile Handset Exploitation Team (MHET), a unit formed by the NSA and GCHQ in April 2010 to target vulnerabilities in cell phones [33518]. The scale of the hack was significant, affecting a huge percentage of the SIM cards at Gemalto, which would require a massive replacement process [33518].
(b) The software failure incident in the articles does not align with a temporary failure scenario. The breach into Gemalto's systems and the theft of encryption keys by intelligence agencies were not due to specific or isolated circumstances but rather a systematic and ongoing hacking operation [33518]. The breach allowed for continuous and unauthorized monitoring of mobile communications on a global scale, indicating a permanent impact on the security and privacy of the affected systems [33518]. |
| Behaviour |
omission, other |
(a) crash:
- The software failure incident related to the hacking of Gemalto's networks by American and British intelligence agencies did not result in a crash where the system loses state and does not perform any of its intended functions [33348, 33518].
(b) omission:
- The software failure incident involved the system omitting to perform its intended functions at instances, as the intelligence agencies were able to steal encryption keys from Gemalto, allowing them to secretly monitor cellular communications [33348, 33518].
(c) timing:
- The software failure incident did not involve timing issues where the system performed its intended functions too late or too early [33348, 33518].
(d) value:
- The software failure incident did not involve the system performing its intended functions incorrectly in terms of the software itself, but rather the unauthorized access and theft of encryption keys by the intelligence agencies [33348, 33518].
(e) byzantine:
- The software failure incident did not exhibit a byzantine behavior where the system behaved erroneously with inconsistent responses and interactions [33348, 33518].
(f) other:
- The other behavior in this software failure incident was the unauthorized access and infiltration of Gemalto's networks by the intelligence agencies, leading to the theft of encryption keys and potential monitoring of cellular communications [33348, 33518]. |