| Recurring |
one_organization |
(a) The software failure incident related to hacking into the public transport system in Perth involving the SmartRider cards occurred at one_organization, specifically at Perth's Public Transport Authority (PTA). The incident involved a student from Murdoch University who hacked into the SmartRider system to gain free travel, leading to charges of fraud against him and another student [44582].
(b) There is no information in the provided article indicating that a similar software failure incident has happened at other organizations or with their products and services. |
| Phase (Design/Operation) |
design, operation |
(a) The software failure incident in the article can be attributed to the design phase. Jack Carruthers, a student at Murdoch University, hacked into the city's SmartRider transport travel card system after finding a flaw in the SmartRider cards. He discovered a way to rewind charges and keep money loaded onto the card, which allowed him to gain $18 worth of free travel. This flaw in the system design was exploited by Carruthers and his co-convicted to manipulate the SmartRider system [Article 44582].
(b) The software failure incident can also be linked to the operation phase. Carruthers and his accomplice used the manipulated SmartRider cards during a university open day for their club, 'Hack the Planet'. Initially, they attempted to use the cards to show people the trips they had taken on Google Maps. However, facing difficulties, they resorted to rolling back charges on the cards to obtain free travel. This misuse of the system during its operation phase led to the fraudulent activity and subsequent charges against the students [Article 44582]. |
| Boundary (Internal/External) |
within_system |
(a) within_system: The software failure incident in this case was primarily due to contributing factors that originated from within the system. Jack Carruthers, a student at Murdoch University, hacked into the city's SmartRider transport travel card system and found a flaw within the SmartRider cards that allowed him to rewind charges and keep money loaded onto the card. This flaw within the SmartRider system led to the incident where Carruthers and another student gained $18 worth of free trips by exploiting the system [Article 44582]. |
| Nature (Human/Non-human) |
non-human_actions, human_actions |
(a) The software failure incident in this case was primarily due to non-human actions. The incident occurred because of a flaw in the SmartRider transport travel card system that allowed the students to rewind charges and keep money loaded onto the card, enabling them to gain free travel [44582].
(b) However, human actions also played a significant role in the failure. The students, including Jack Carruthers, actively exploited the flaw in the system by hacking into the SmartRider cards to obtain free trips. Their actions of manipulating the system and using the exploit for personal gain led to the fraud charges and legal consequences [44582]. |
| Dimension (Hardware/Software) |
software |
(a) The software failure incident in the article was not directly attributed to hardware issues. The incident involved a student hacking into the public transport system's SmartRider travel card, exploiting flaws in the software system to gain free trips. The student found a way to manipulate the charges on the card and keep money loaded onto it, indicating a software vulnerability rather than a hardware issue [44582].
(b) The software failure incident in the article was primarily due to contributing factors originating in the software. The student hacked into the SmartRider transport travel card system, identified flaws in the software, and exploited them to obtain free trips. The incident involved manipulating the software system to rewind charges and keep money loaded onto the card, showcasing a software vulnerability that was exploited by the student [44582]. |
| Objective (Malicious/Non-malicious) |
malicious, non-malicious |
(a) The software failure incident in this case was malicious as it involved hacking into the public transport system with the intent to gain free trips by exploiting a flaw in the SmartRider cards. The students, including Jack Carruthers, knowingly manipulated the system to obtain free travel, which led to charges of fraud against them [44582].
(b) On the other hand, the incident could also be considered non-malicious in the sense that the students initially discovered the flaw in the system as part of a project for their university club, 'Hack the Planet', and intended to demonstrate the issue to raise awareness. However, their actions escalated to exploiting the flaw for personal gain as they faced challenges in demonstrating the issue effectively [44582]. |
| Intent (Poor/Accidental Decisions) |
poor_decisions |
(a) The intent of the software failure incident was related to poor_decisions. Jack Carruthers and another university student hacked into Perth's public transport system card, SmartRider, to gain free travel worth $18. They found a flaw in the SmartRider cards and used it for a project for their club, 'Hack the Planet', during a university open day. Carruthers described feeling pressured and desperate to have a stall for his club at the open day, leading them to exploit the flaw in the system to get free travel. Initially, they attempted to use the cards to show trips on Google Maps but later resorted to rolling back charges to obtain free travel as the open day approached. Carruthers admitted to being less cautious and desperate in his actions, not fully realizing the legal implications of editing the card [44582]. |
| Capability (Incompetence/Accidental) |
development_incompetence, accidental |
(a) The software failure incident in this case can be attributed to development incompetence. The students hacked into the SmartRider transport travel card system to exploit a flaw they discovered, allowing them to gain free trips. Their actions were driven by a desire to showcase their hacking skills and to have a stall for their club at a university open day. Despite their intentions, their actions were illegal, leading to charges of fraud. The students' lack of professional competence in handling the situation appropriately and ethically ultimately led to the software failure incident ([44582]).
(b) Additionally, the software failure incident can also be categorized as accidental. The students initially attempted to use the hacked cards to show people the trips they had taken on Google Maps, but faced difficulties. As the university open day approached, they resorted to rolling back charges on the cards to obtain free travel, which they described as a desperate and less cautious move. Their actions were not well thought out, and they did not fully consider the legal implications of editing the cards. This accidental progression of events led to the software failure incident ([44582]). |
| Duration |
temporary |
The software failure incident in the article was temporary. Jack Carruthers and another university student hacked into Perth's SmartRider transport travel card system to gain $18 worth of free trips. They found a flaw in the SmartRider cards and used it for their club project during a university open day. The incident was a result of specific circumstances where they figured out they could roll back charges and get free travel on the cards as the open day neared. Carruthers described feeling desperate and less cautious during this period ([44582]). |
| Behaviour |
omission, value, other |
(a) crash: The software failure incident in the article does not involve a crash where the system loses state and does not perform any of its intended functions. [44582]
(b) omission: The failure in this incident can be categorized as an omission where the system omits to perform its intended functions at an instance(s). The students exploited a flaw in the SmartRider system to rewind charges and keep money loaded onto the card, essentially bypassing the payment system and gaining free travel. This omission led to the unauthorized use of the transport system without paying for the services. [44582]
(c) timing: The failure in this incident is not related to timing, where the system performs its intended functions correctly but too late or too early. [44582]
(d) value: The failure in this incident can be categorized as a value failure where the system performs its intended functions incorrectly. The students manipulated the system to roll back charges and obtain free travel, which was not the intended use of the SmartRider cards. This incorrect behavior led to the fraudulent activity of gaining free trips without payment. [44582]
(e) byzantine: The failure in this incident is not related to a byzantine behavior where the system behaves erroneously with inconsistent responses and interactions. [44582]
(f) other: The other behavior observed in this software failure incident is the intentional exploitation of a system flaw for personal gain. The students deliberately hacked into the SmartRider system, identified a vulnerability, and used it to obtain free travel without authorization. This behavior falls under the category of deliberate misuse and abuse of the system's functionality. [44582] |