| Recurring |
unknown |
(a) The software failure incident related to Burning Man ticket sales being hacked by software engineers in Silicon Valley has not been reported to have happened again within the same organization [33651].
(b) The software failure incident of hacking into the ticketing system has not been reported to have happened again at other organizations or with their products and services in the provided articles [33651]. |
| Phase (Design/Operation) |
design, operation |
(a) The software failure incident related to the design phase was due to a design flaw on the ticket page that allowed software-savvy engineers to generate a spot ahead of everyone else in line during the Burning Man ticket sale [33651].
(b) The software failure incident related to the operation phase was caused by the operation of the system during the ticket sale. The fluctuating wait times in the online queue gave the illusion to users that hackers were cutting in front of them, causing anxiety and resentment among potential ticket buyers [33651]. |
| Boundary (Internal/External) |
within_system |
(a) within_system: The software failure incident at Burning Man related to the ticketing system was primarily due to contributing factors that originated from within the system. Software engineers in Silicon Valley hacked into the Burning Man ticketing system powered by Ticketfly by exploiting a design flaw on the ticket page that allowed them to generate a spot ahead of everyone else in line [33651]. Additionally, hackers were able to create a backdoor to the sale by discovering a few lines of JavaScript code on the ticketing website that gave them preeminent access to tickets before the official sale started [33651].
(b) outside_system: There is no specific information in the articles indicating that the software failure incident at Burning Man was due to contributing factors originating from outside the system. |
| Nature (Human/Non-human) |
non-human_actions, human_actions |
(a) The software failure incident at Burning Man ticket sales was primarily due to non-human actions. The incident occurred because approximately 200 software-savvy engineers discovered a design flaw on the ticket page that allowed them to generate a spot ahead of everyone else in line [33651]. This flaw was related to a backdoor created by hackers, which enabled them to purchase the first batch of tickets when the sale started, even though no tickets were sold before the official sale opening [33651].
(b) However, human actions were also involved in the software failure incident. The engineers exploited the design flaw in the ticketing system, which was a contributing factor introduced by human actions [33651]. Additionally, the Burning Man officials took steps to prevent such incidents from happening again in future sales, indicating a response to human actions that led to the failure [33651]. |
| Dimension (Hardware/Software) |
software |
(a) The software failure incident related to hardware:
- The incident at Burning Man involving the ticketing system was primarily due to software engineers hacking into the system to gain an advantage in purchasing tickets. This was not a hardware-related failure but rather a manipulation of the software system [33651].
(b) The software failure incident related to software:
- The software failure incident at Burning Man was directly caused by software engineers exploiting a design flaw in the ticketing system's software to create a backdoor and jump to the front of the ticket queue. This was a software-related failure stemming from vulnerabilities in the software code [33651]. |
| Objective (Malicious/Non-malicious) |
malicious |
(a) The software failure incident at Burning Man related to the ticketing system was malicious in nature. Software engineers in Silicon Valley hacked into the Burning Man ticketing system powered by Ticketfly to cut to the front of the queue. Approximately 200 people created a technical 'backdoor' to the sale and made their way to the front of the line by exploiting a design flaw on the ticket page [33651]. The hackers were able to generate a waiting room URL ahead of time using code segments they discovered on the ticketing website, allowing them to purchase the first batch of tickets when the sale started [33651]. Burning Man officials confirmed that a backdoor had been created by hackers, leading to resentment and parody among Twitter users [33651].
(b) The software failure incident was non-malicious in the sense that it was not caused by unintentional factors. The incident was a result of deliberate actions taken by software-savvy engineers who exploited a design flaw and created a backdoor in the ticketing system to gain an unfair advantage in purchasing tickets [33651]. Burning Man acknowledged the error and took steps to prevent such incidents from happening in future sales [33651]. |
| 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 software-savvy engineers to exploit a design flaw in the Burning Man ticketing system. These engineers hacked into the system to generate a spot ahead of everyone else in line, allowing them to purchase tickets before the official sale started [33651].
(b) The software failure incident was not a result of accidental decisions but rather a deliberate attempt by individuals to manipulate the system and gain an unfair advantage during the ticket sale process. The creation of a backdoor by hackers and the exploitation of a design flaw in the ticketing website were intentional actions aimed at bypassing the normal queue and purchasing tickets ahead of others [33651]. |
| Capability (Incompetence/Accidental) |
accidental |
(a) The software failure incident at Burning Man ticket sale was not due to development incompetence but rather due to hackers exploiting a design flaw in the ticketing system. The incident involved software-savvy engineers discovering a backdoor in the system that allowed them to generate a spot ahead of others in line [33651].
(b) The software failure incident at Burning Man ticket sale was accidental in nature. The hackers accidentally discovered a few lines of JavaScript code on the ticketing website that gave them preeminent access to tickets three minutes before the official sale started. This accidental discovery allowed them to create a backdoor and purchase tickets ahead of others in line [33651]. |
| Duration |
temporary |
(a) The software failure incident in the Burning Man ticketing system was temporary. The incident occurred during the ticket sale when approximately 200 software-savvy engineers discovered a design flaw on the ticket page that allowed them to generate a spot ahead of everyone else in line [33651]. This flaw was exploited by creating a technical 'backdoor' to the sale, enabling these individuals to purchase the first batch of tickets when the sale started. The incident was not a permanent failure but rather a temporary issue caused by specific circumstances and actions taken by the engineers. |
| Behaviour |
other |
(a) crash: The software failure incident in the Burning Man ticketing system 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 users exploiting a design flaw to gain an advantage in the ticket queue [33651].
(b) omission: The failure was not due to the system omitting to perform its intended functions at an instance(s). Instead, the issue stemmed from a design flaw that allowed certain users to bypass the queue and purchase tickets ahead of others [33651].
(c) timing: The software failure incident did not involve the system performing its intended functions correctly but too late or too early. The issue was more about certain users gaining early access to the ticketing system through a backdoor exploit [33651].
(d) value: The failure was not due to the system performing its intended functions incorrectly. The incident was more about users exploiting a flaw in the system to gain an unfair advantage in purchasing tickets [33651].
(e) byzantine: The software failure incident did not exhibit behavior characteristic of a byzantine failure, where the system behaves erroneously with inconsistent responses and interactions. The incident was more about users manipulating the system rather than the system itself providing inconsistent responses [33651].
(f) other: The behavior of the software failure incident can be categorized as a form of exploitation or manipulation of the system by users who discovered a design flaw that allowed them to jump the queue and purchase tickets ahead of others [33651]. |