Incident: Data Breach at Brazzers Forum Due to vBulletin Software Vulnerabilities

Published Date: 2016-09-06

Postmortem Analysis
Timeline 1. The software failure incident involving the theft of 790,724 Brazzers forum users' details through vulnerabilities in the vBulletin chat forum software happened in 2012 as mentioned in Article [47629].
System 1. vBulletin chat forum software [47629]
Responsible Organization 1. The hackers who gained access to the login details via the vBulletin software [47629] 2. Potential responsibility on the administrators of the forum software for not keeping it up to date, leaving it vulnerable to hackers [47629]
Impacted Organization 1. Users of Brazzers porn site [47629] 2. Dropbox users [47629]
Software Causes 1. Vulnerabilities in the vBulletin chat forum software were exploited by hackers to gain access to the Brazzers forum user data [47629].
Non-software Causes 1. Lack of proper data protection measures leading to the theft of user data [47629] 2. Failure to adequately inform users about the severity of the data breach [47629]
Impacts 1. The names, email addresses, usernames, and passwords of nearly 800,000 Brazzers forum users were leaked due to the software failure incident [47629]. 2. A total of 928,072 records were included in the breach, with many being duplicates [47629]. 3. The stolen data contained 790,724 unique email addresses, usernames, and passwords [47629]. 4. The hack occurred due to security vulnerabilities in the vBulletin chat forum software, which served as the entry point for the hackers [47629]. 5. The stolen data re-emerged online, indicating a long-lasting impact of the software failure incident [47629].
Preventions 1. Regularly updating and patching the vBulletin chat forum software to address security vulnerabilities could have prevented the software failure incident [47629]. 2. Implementing strong password policies and encouraging users not to reuse passwords across different platforms could have reduced the impact of the breach [47629]. 3. Conducting regular security audits and monitoring for any unauthorized access or suspicious activities could have helped detect the breach earlier and mitigate its effects [47629].
Fixes 1. Updating and patching the vBulletin chat forum software to fix the security vulnerabilities that allowed hackers to gain access to the Brazzers forum user data [47629]. 2. Implementing stronger password policies and encouraging users to use unique passwords for different platforms to prevent the duplication of passwords across multiple sites [47629]. 3. Conducting regular security audits and monitoring to detect and address any potential vulnerabilities in the forum software to prevent future breaches [47629].
References 1. The articles gather information about the software failure incident from the statement provided by Brazzers to Motherboard [47629]. 2. The articles also gather information from renowned security researcher Troy Hunt's tweet regarding the hack [47629].

Software Taxonomy of Faults

Category Option Rationale
Recurring one_organization, multiple_organization (a) The software failure incident related to the breach at Brazzers happened again at the same organization. The incident involved a security breach in 2012 where the names, email addresses, usernames, and passwords of nearly 800,000 registered users of Brazzers were leaked due to vulnerabilities in the vBulletin chat forum software [47629]. (b) The software failure incident related to the breach at Brazzers also happened at another organization, Dropbox. Dropbox was hacked four years ago, and more than 68 million of its users' passwords and email addresses were dumped on the internet. The breach was attributed to a security vulnerability in the vBulletin software, similar to the Brazzers incident [47629].
Phase (Design/Operation) design, operation (a) The software failure incident related to the design phase can be attributed to vulnerabilities in the vBulletin chat forum software, which served as the entry point for the hack on Brazzers forum users' data [47629]. (b) The software failure incident related to the operation phase can be linked to the potential lack of keeping the forum software up to date by administrators, leaving it vulnerable to hackers [47629].
Boundary (Internal/External) within_system (a) The software failure incident related to the Brazzers forum breach can be categorized as within_system. The breach occurred due to vulnerabilities in the vBulletin chat forum software, which was used by Brazzers for its forums [47629]. The hackers gained access to the login details through these vulnerabilities within the system, indicating an internal weakness that was exploited. Additionally, the stolen data contained information specific to the forum users, showing that the breach originated from within the system itself.
Nature (Human/Non-human) non-human_actions, human_actions (a) The software failure incident occurring due to non-human actions: - The software failure incident involving the breach of Brazzers forum users' data was due to vulnerabilities in the vBulletin chat forum software, which provided the entry point for hackers [47629]. - The stolen data containing email addresses, usernames, and passwords of nearly 800,000 Brazzers forum users was leaked due to security vulnerabilities in the vBulletin software [47629]. (b) The software failure incident occurring due to human actions: - It is possible that the forum software may not have been kept up to date by its administrators, leaving it vulnerable to hackers [47629]. - Dropbox's data breach, where over 68 million users' passwords and email addresses were dumped online, was due to a hack that occurred four years ago [47629].
Dimension (Hardware/Software) software (a) The software failure incident related to hardware: - The breach of nearly 800,000 registered users of Brazzers occurred due to vulnerabilities in the vBulletin chat forum software, which is a software component [47629]. - The stolen account details, including email addresses, usernames, and passwords, were nabbed from the site's forums, indicating a breach through software vulnerabilities rather than hardware issues [47629]. (b) The software failure incident related to software: - The breach of Brazzers' user data was attributed to security vulnerabilities in the vBulletin chat forum software, indicating a software-related failure [47629]. - Dropbox's data breach, where over 68 million users' passwords and email addresses were exposed, was also linked to a hack on the software side, as hackers gained access to the private details via the vBulletin software [47629].
Objective (Malicious/Non-malicious) malicious, non-malicious (a) The software failure incident related to the Brazzers forum breach was malicious in nature. Hackers gained access to the login details of nearly 800,000 users through vulnerabilities in the vBulletin chat forum software [47629]. The stolen data, including email addresses, usernames, and passwords, was leaked online, indicating that the breach was intentional and aimed at compromising user information for malicious purposes. (b) The Dropbox hack, on the other hand, was non-malicious in nature. It was reported that Dropbox was hacked four years ago, resulting in the theft of passwords and email addresses of over 68 million users [47629]. The incident was not initially disclosed in its severity, with Dropbox mentioning a 'small number of accounts' being affected. This lack of transparency suggests that the failure was not intentionally caused to harm the system but rather due to a security breach that was not fully disclosed at the time.
Intent (Poor/Accidental Decisions) poor_decisions, accidental_decisions (a) The software failure incident related to the Brazzers forum breach can be attributed to poor decisions made regarding the security of the vBulletin chat forum software. The hackers gained access to the login details of nearly 800,000 users through vulnerabilities in the vBulletin software [47629]. Additionally, it is mentioned that the forum software may not have been kept up to date by its administrators, leaving it vulnerable to hackers [47629]. (b) The software failure incident can also be linked to accidental decisions or mistakes. Dropbox, another platform that suffered a data breach, failed to disclose the severity of the breach initially. It was only revealed later that over 68 million users' passwords and email addresses were compromised [47629]. This lack of transparency and underestimation of the breach could be considered an accidental decision that contributed to the failure incident.
Capability (Incompetence/Accidental) development_incompetence, accidental (a) The software failure incident related to development incompetence is evident in the case of the Brazzers forum hack. The breach occurred due to security vulnerabilities in the vBulletin chat forum software, which allowed hackers to gain access to the login details of nearly 800,000 users [47629]. This indicates a lack of professional competence in ensuring the security and integrity of the forum software by the development organization responsible for its maintenance. (b) The accidental aspect of the software failure incident is highlighted in the Dropbox hack, where more than 68 million users' passwords and email addresses were dumped on the internet four years ago [47629]. Dropbox initially reported the breach as affecting a small number of accounts, indicating a lack of awareness or understanding of the severity of the incident. This accidental misjudgment in assessing the scale of the data breach contributed to the failure to promptly address and disclose the full extent of the security incident.
Duration permanent, temporary (a) The software failure incident in Article 47629 related to the Brazzers forum data breach can be considered as a permanent failure. The incident involved the theft of email addresses, usernames, and passwords of nearly 800,000 Brazzers forum users due to vulnerabilities in the vBulletin chat forum software. The breach occurred in 2012, and the stolen data resurfaced online, indicating a long-lasting impact on the security and privacy of the affected users. Brazzers took corrective measures to protect its users, but the breach itself was a permanent consequence of the software vulnerability [47629]. (b) The software failure incident in Article 47629 can also be viewed as a temporary failure in the sense that the breach itself occurred at a specific point in time due to the vulnerabilities in the vBulletin software. While the breach was a one-time event in 2012, the consequences of the stolen data resurfacing online and potentially affecting users who reused passwords across different platforms could be seen as a temporary impact stemming from the initial breach [47629].
Behaviour crash, other (a) crash: The software failure incident related to the Brazzers forum breach can be categorized as a crash. The breach occurred due to vulnerabilities in the vBulletin chat forum software, leading to hackers gaining unauthorized access to the login details of nearly 800,000 users [47629]. (b) omission: There is no specific mention of the software failure incident being related to omission in the provided articles. (c) timing: The software failure incident is not related to timing issues where the system performs its intended functions but at the wrong time. (d) value: The software failure incident is not related to the system performing its intended functions incorrectly. (e) byzantine: The software failure incident is not related to the system behaving erroneously with inconsistent responses and interactions. (f) other: The software failure incident can be categorized as a security breach due to vulnerabilities in the vBulletin chat forum software, leading to unauthorized access to user login details [47629].

IoT System Layer

Layer Option Rationale
Perception None None
Communication None None
Application None None

Other Details

Category Option Rationale
Consequence property (d) property: People's material goods, money, or data was impacted due to the software failure The software failure incident involving the Brazzers forum hack resulted in the theft of email addresses, usernames, and passwords of 790,724 users [47629]. Additionally, the Dropbox hack from four years ago led to the exposure of more than 68 million users' passwords and email addresses [47629]. These incidents clearly demonstrate that people's data and privacy were compromised as a consequence of the software failures.
Domain entertainment (a) The failed system was related to the entertainment industry. The software failure incident involved the porn site Brazzers, where the names of nearly 800,000 registered users were leaked due to a security breach in the Brazzers forum [47629]. (k) The failed system was also related to the entertainment industry. The incident involved a porn site, Brazzers, where the stolen data included email addresses, usernames, and passwords of forum users. The breach occurred through vulnerabilities in the vBulletin chat forum software [47629].

Sources

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