| Recurring |
one_organization, multiple_organization |
The software failure incident related to the 911 system disruptions has happened again at multiple organizations. The incident involved a malicious Twitter post with a link targeting faulty phone software that caused cellphones to repeatedly call 911 in cities across the country, which was reported as the largest cyberattack on the country's emergency-response system [Article 50444]. This incident demonstrated how aging 911 systems are vulnerable to malicious hackers who may deliberately program multiple phones to crash emergency networks. Additionally, the incident highlighted the need for states and localities to switch to the newest "next-generation" Internet-based technology to handle cellphone traffic more effectively and prevent such attacks. |
| Phase (Design/Operation) |
design, operation |
(a) The software failure incident related to the design phase can be seen in the article where a malicious Twitter post with a link targeting faulty phone software caused people's cellphones to repeatedly call 911, overwhelming emergency call centers in at least a dozen states [50444]. This incident was a result of a flaw in the design of the phone software that allowed for such an attack to occur.
(b) The software failure incident related to the operation phase is evident in the article where in Dallas, callers were unable to reach 911 during spikes in calls that put hundreds of people on hold. City officials blamed a combination of calls from T-Mobile customers and a shortage of people to handle calls [50444]. This failure was due to contributing factors introduced by the operation or misuse of the system, highlighting the challenges faced during the operation of the emergency response system. |
| Boundary (Internal/External) |
within_system, outside_system |
(a) within_system: The software failure incident related to the 911 emergency-response systems being disrupted was primarily due to factors originating from within the system. The incidents were caused by a combination of issues such as spikes in calls, shortage of staff to handle calls, and a feature in T-Mobile phones that repeatedly called 911 if the initial call failed [50444]. Additionally, a malicious Twitter post with a link targeting faulty phone software caused cellphones to repeatedly call 911, overwhelming emergency call centers in multiple states [50444]. These issues highlight vulnerabilities within the existing 911 systems that need to be addressed through system upgrades and improved technology to prevent such failures in the future. |
| Nature (Human/Non-human) |
non-human_actions, human_actions |
(a) The software failure incident occurring due to non-human actions:
The incident where a malicious Twitter post with a link targeting faulty phone software caused cellphones to repeatedly call 911 was a result of a cyberattack on the country's emergency-response system. This attack overwhelmed emergency call centers in at least a dozen states and was considered the largest cyberattack on the emergency system [50444].
(b) The software failure incident occurring due to human actions:
In Dallas, callers were unable to reach 911 due to spikes in calls that put hundreds of people on hold. City officials attributed this issue to a combination of calls from T-Mobile customers and a shortage of staff to handle the calls. To address the problem, officials dedicated $2 million to upgrades and increased staffing, and they requested T-Mobile to disable a feature that calls 911 repeatedly if an initial call fails to go through [50444]. |
| Dimension (Hardware/Software) |
hardware, software |
(a) The software failure incident occurring due to hardware:
- The incident where a malicious Twitter post with a link targeting faulty phone software caused cellphones to repeatedly call 911 was a result of a cyberattack on the country's emergency-response system, which overwhelmed emergency call centers in at least a dozen states [50444].
- Aging 911 systems were shown to be vulnerable to malicious hackers who could deliberately program multiple phones to crash emergency networks, either by infecting phones with malware or by buying a few thousand phones [50444].
(b) The software failure incident occurring due to software:
- The incident where a malicious Twitter post caused cellphones to repeatedly call 911 was attributed to faulty phone software, indicating a software-related issue [50444].
- The need for states and localities to switch to next-generation Internet-based technology that uses digital routing instead of old-fashioned phone lines with switches highlights the importance of upgrading software systems to handle cellphone traffic more effectively [50444]. |
| Objective (Malicious/Non-malicious) |
malicious, non-malicious |
(a) The software failure incident related to the malicious objective was the cyberattack on the country's emergency-response system caused by a malicious Twitter post with a link targeting faulty phone software. This incident led to cellphones repeatedly calling 911 in cities across the country, overwhelming emergency call centers in at least a dozen states [50444].
(b) The software failure incidents related to non-malicious objectives included disruptions in antiquated 911 emergency-response systems due to service issues, spikes in calls overwhelming call centers, and a shortage of staff to handle calls. These incidents were not intentional attacks but rather resulted from system limitations and lack of resources [50444]. |
| Intent (Poor/Accidental Decisions) |
poor_decisions |
(a) The software failure incident related to the 911 emergency-response system disruptions was primarily due to poor decisions made by individuals. For example, in one incident, a malicious Twitter post with a link targeting faulty phone software caused cellphones to repeatedly call 911, overwhelming emergency call centers in multiple states [50444]. This incident was described as the largest cyberattack on the country's emergency-response system, and it was later revealed that a Washington state teen shared the link as a prank, leading to the disruption.
Additionally, the incident highlighted the vulnerability of aging 911 systems to malicious hackers who can deliberately program multiple phones to crash emergency networks, either through malware or by manipulating phones to make repeated calls [50444]. The lack of proactive measures and the failure to anticipate such attacks demonstrate poor decisions that contributed to the software failure incident. |
| Capability (Incompetence/Accidental) |
development_incompetence, accidental |
(a) The software failure incident related to development incompetence is evident in the article as it mentions how the 911 systems were vulnerable to malicious hackers who could deliberately program multiple phones to crash emergency networks. This vulnerability was highlighted in a 2016 paper on U.S. call center security by Ben-Gurion University's Cyber Security Research Center in Israel [50444]. Additionally, the incident where a Twitter post with a link targeting faulty phone software caused cellphones to repeatedly call 911 across the country demonstrates the impact of development incompetence in creating software vulnerabilities that can be exploited for cyberattacks.
(b) The software failure incident related to accidental factors is seen in the article when it mentions the October cyberattack where a Washington state teen shared a malicious Twitter post as a prank, causing cellphones to repeatedly call 911 in cities across the country [50444]. This incident was not intentional but rather accidental, resulting in a significant disruption to the emergency-response system. |
| Duration |
temporary |
The software failure incident related to the 911 emergency-response system disruptions reported in the articles was temporary. The incidents mentioned in the articles, such as the inability to reach 911 during spikes in calls, the malicious Twitter post causing cellphones to repeatedly call 911, and the issues faced by call centers in various states, were all temporary disruptions caused by specific circumstances like high call volumes, cyberattacks, and software vulnerabilities [50444]. |
| Behaviour |
crash, omission, other |
(a) crash: The software failure incident mentioned in the articles involved a crash where people's cellphones repeatedly called 911 due to a malicious Twitter post with a link targeting faulty phone software, causing emergency call centers in at least a dozen states to be overwhelmed for 12 hours over two days [50444].
(b) omission: The incident also involved an omission where callers in Dallas were unable to reach 911 during spikes in calls, leading to hundreds of people being put on hold. This was attributed to a combination of calls from T-Mobile customers and a shortage of staff to handle the calls [50444].
(c) timing: There is no specific mention of a timing-related failure in the software incident described in the articles.
(d) value: The incident did not involve a failure due to the system performing its intended functions incorrectly.
(e) byzantine: The incident did not involve a byzantine failure where the system behaves erroneously with inconsistent responses and interactions.
(f) other: The incident also highlighted the vulnerability of aging 911 systems to malicious hackers who may deliberately program multiple phones to crash emergency networks, either by infecting phones with malware or by buying a few thousand phones [50444]. |