Incident: Data Breach at xHamster Exposes 380,000 User Accounts

Published Date: 2016-11-30

Postmortem Analysis
Timeline 1. The software failure incident involving xHamster allegedly being hacked was reported on November 30, 2016 [49477]. Therefore, the software failure incident likely occurred around November 2016.
System 1. xHamster website's database security system [49477] 2. LeakBase breach notification site [49477]
Responsible Organization 1. Cyber criminals were responsible for causing the software failure incident at xHamster, leading to the exposure of user details [49477].
Impacted Organization 1. Government bodies in the US and UK [49477]
Software Causes 1. Vulnerability in the xHamster website that cyber criminals exploited to hack into user accounts [49477] 2. Injection vulnerability in AdultFriendFinder that allowed access to source code [49477] 3. Security test on PornHub that exposed user accounts as part of the test [49477]
Non-software Causes 1. Lack of robust cybersecurity measures to prevent unauthorized access to user data [49477]
Impacts 1. The software failure incident led to the exposure of details of an estimated 380,000 xHamster users, including email addresses associated with accounts, some of which belonged to government bodies in the US and UK [49477]. 2. The incident resulted in cyber criminals trading the hacked details on the web, potentially compromising the privacy and security of affected users [49477]. 3. The breach raised concerns about the security of user data on adult websites, as xHamster was not the only site targeted by hackers, with AdultFriendFinder and PornHub also experiencing similar incidents [49477].
Preventions 1. Implementing regular security audits and vulnerability assessments to identify and address potential weaknesses in the website's infrastructure [49477]. 2. Ensuring robust encryption methods are in place to protect user data, especially sensitive information like email addresses and passwords [49477]. 3. Enforcing strong password policies for user accounts to prevent easy access by cyber criminals [49477]. 4. Providing cybersecurity training to staff members to increase awareness of potential threats and how to mitigate them [49477]. 5. Implementing multi-factor authentication to add an extra layer of security for user accounts [49477].
Fixes 1. Implementing robust cybersecurity measures to prevent future hacking incidents, such as regular security audits, encryption of sensitive data, and multi-factor authentication [49477].
References 1. Motherboard [49477] 2. LeakBase [49477]

Software Taxonomy of Faults

Category Option Rationale
Recurring one_organization, multiple_organization (a) The software failure incident having happened again at one_organization: The xHamster breach incident was denied by a spokesperson who referred to it as a 'failed attempt' to hack the database four years ago, indicating a similar incident had occurred previously within the organization [49477]. (b) The software failure incident having happened again at multiple_organization: The article mentions that the xHamster breach incident is part of a series of high-profile attacks targeting adult websites, including other platforms like AdultFriendFinder, PornHub, and Ashley Madison, indicating similar incidents have occurred at multiple organizations in the adult website industry [49477].
Phase (Design/Operation) design, operation (a) The software failure incident related to design: The incident involving xHamster being hacked and exposing user details can be attributed to a vulnerability in the website that cyber criminals discovered earlier in the year. The hackers exploited this vulnerability to gain unauthorized access to user accounts, indicating a failure in the design or development phase of the system [49477]. (b) The software failure incident related to operation: The incident involving xHamster being hacked and exposing user details could also be linked to factors related to the operation or misuse of the system. It is possible that the operation of the website, including how user data was handled or protected, contributed to the security breach that allowed cyber criminals to trade user details on the web [49477].
Boundary (Internal/External) within_system, outside_system (a) within_system: The software failure incident related to the xHamster breach was primarily due to contributing factors that originated from within the system. The breach involved hackers exploiting a vulnerability in the website, leading to the exposure of user details. The spokesperson for xHamster mentioned a "failed attempt" to hack the database four years ago, indicating a previous internal security issue within the system [49477]. (b) outside_system: The software failure incident could also be attributed to contributing factors that originated from outside the system. Cyber criminals were able to trade the hacked user details on the web, indicating external threats and attacks on the system's security from malicious actors outside the organization [49477].
Nature (Human/Non-human) non-human_actions, human_actions (a) The software failure incident related to non-human actions in this case is the alleged hacking of xHamster accounts. Cyber criminals were reported to have discovered a vulnerability in the site, leading to the exposure of an estimated 380,000 user accounts [49477]. (b) The software failure incident related to human actions involves the potential vulnerability introduced by the website itself. Despite the claims of a hack being labeled as fake by xHamster, there were reports of a failed attempt to hack the database four years ago. Additionally, AdultFriendFinder mentioned fixing a vulnerability related to accessing source code through an injection vulnerability [49477].
Dimension (Hardware/Software) software (a) The software failure incident related to hardware: - The article does not specifically mention any hardware-related issues contributing to the software failure incident. It primarily focuses on the hacking and security breach affecting xHamster and other adult websites [49477]. (b) The software failure incident related to software: - The software failure incident in this case is primarily due to a security breach caused by cyber criminals exploiting a vulnerability in the xHamster website's software. The hackers were able to access and trade details of approximately 380,000 user accounts. The spokesperson for xHamster mentioned a failed attempt to hack the database in the past but denied the recent breach, indicating a software-related issue [49477].
Objective (Malicious/Non-malicious) malicious (a) The software failure incident reported in the articles is malicious in nature. Cyber criminals hacked into the xHamster website, exposing details of an estimated 380,000 users, including accounts belonging to government bodies in the US and UK [49477]. The hackers traded the stolen details on the web, indicating a deliberate attempt to compromise user information for potentially harmful purposes. Additionally, the incident is part of a series of high-profile attacks targeting adult websites, suggesting a pattern of malicious intent behind the breaches.
Intent (Poor/Accidental Decisions) poor_decisions (a) The software failure incident related to the xHamster breach could be attributed to poor decisions. The incident involved a security breach where an estimated 380,000 user accounts were hacked, including accounts belonging to government bodies in the US and UK [49477]. Despite the reports and evidence of the hack, a spokesperson for xHamster initially called it a fake and referred to it as a failed attempt to hack the database four years ago. This denial and downplaying of the breach could be seen as a poor decision on the part of the website's representatives.
Capability (Incompetence/Accidental) accidental (a) The articles do not provide specific information indicating the software failure incident was due to development incompetence by humans or the development organization. Therefore, the incident does not seem to be attributed to a lack of professional competence. (b) The software failure incident reported in the articles seems to be accidental in nature. The incident involved a security breach where an estimated 380,000 user accounts of xHamster were allegedly hacked by cyber criminals. The breach was believed to have occurred due to cyber criminals discovering a vulnerability in the site earlier in the year, leading to the exposure of user details [49477].
Duration permanent, temporary (a) The software failure incident in the articles seems to be more of a permanent nature. The incident involved a security breach where an estimated 380,000 xHamster user accounts were allegedly hacked by cyber criminals, with the details being traded on the web [49477]. The breach was significant, affecting a large number of user accounts, including those associated with government bodies in the US and UK. The incident was not a one-time event but rather an ongoing issue where the hacked details were being circulated and traded by cyber criminals. (b) The software failure incident could also be considered temporary in the sense that the breach was not immediately confirmed by xHamster. The spokesperson for xHamster initially called the hack a fake and referred to it as a failed attempt to hack the database four years ago [49477]. This initial denial and dismissal of the hack as a fake could be seen as a temporary state of uncertainty before the full extent of the breach was acknowledged.
Behaviour other (a) crash: The incident reported in the articles does not specifically mention a system crash where the system loses state and fails to perform any of its intended functions [49477]. (b) omission: The incident does not describe a failure where the system omits to perform its intended functions at an instance(s) [49477]. (c) timing: The incident does not involve a failure where the system performs its intended functions correctly but at the wrong time [49477]. (d) value: The incident does not mention a failure where the system performs its intended functions incorrectly [49477]. (e) byzantine: The incident does not involve a failure where the system behaves erroneously with inconsistent responses and interactions [49477]. (f) other: The behavior of the software failure incident reported in the articles is related to a security breach or hack where user details were exposed due to cybercriminals trading the information on the web. The incident involves unauthorized access to user accounts and potential data leakage, rather than a specific system behavior failure as described in options (a) to (e) [49477].

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 xHamster resulted in the exposure of details of an estimated 380,000 users, with cyber criminals trading these details on the web. The leaked information included email addresses associated with user accounts, some of which belonged to government bodies in the US and UK [49477]. This breach compromised the security and privacy of the affected users' data, indicating a property impact as their personal information was exposed to unauthorized parties.
Domain entertainment (a) The failed system in the incident was related to the entertainment industry. The software failure incident involved the adult website xHamster, which is a platform for sharing adult content and interacting with other users through comments and uploads [49477]. The breach exposed details of approximately 380,000 users, including accounts associated with government bodies in the US and UK. This incident is part of a series of high-profile attacks targeting adult websites, indicating that the system failure occurred in the entertainment sector.

Sources

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