Incident: Malicious CoinVault Software Ransomware Attack on 1,500 Computers

Published Date: 2015-09-17

Postmortem Analysis
Timeline 1. The software failure incident involving the CoinVault ransomware happened in 2014 [51519].
System The system that failed in the software failure incident reported in Article 51519 is: 1. CoinVault software - The malicious software known as "CoinVault" failed as it was used to encrypt target computers' files and extort money from victims [51519].
Responsible Organization 1. The two men arrested on suspicion of using malicious software known as "CoinVault" to extort money from victims by hacking their computers [Article 51519].
Impacted Organization 1. Victims in the Netherlands, United States, Germany, France, and Britain had their computers encrypted and files held for ransom by the CoinVault software [51519].
Software Causes 1. The software cause of the failure incident was the use of malicious software known as "CoinVault" by the two suspects to encrypt target computers' files and demand ransom for decryption [51519].
Non-software Causes 1. The non-software causes of the failure incident include the suspects' actions of hacking into computers and encrypting files to extort money from victims [51519].
Impacts 1. The software failure incident led to the encryption of files on 1,500 computers in multiple countries, including the Netherlands, United States, Germany, France, and Britain [51519]. 2. Victims who refused to pay the ransom lost access to their files, including vacation photos, videos, and presentations [51519]. 3. The incident caused financial losses for some victims who paid the ransom in bitcoin to decrypt their files [51519].
Preventions 1. Implementing robust cybersecurity measures such as firewalls, intrusion detection systems, and antivirus software could have prevented the CoinVault ransomware attack [51519]. 2. Regularly updating software and operating systems with the latest security patches and fixes could have closed potential vulnerabilities exploited by the malicious software [51519]. 3. Educating users about phishing scams and social engineering tactics could have prevented the initial infection of computers with the CoinVault ransomware [51519].
Fixes 1. Enhancing cybersecurity measures to prevent unauthorized access and hacking attempts [51519] 2. Regular software updates and patches to address vulnerabilities exploited by malicious software like CoinVault [51519] 3. Implementing robust encryption protocols to protect sensitive data from being easily compromised [51519]
References 1. Online security firm Kaspersky Lab [51519]

Software Taxonomy of Faults

Category Option Rationale
Recurring multiple_organization (a) The software failure incident related to the CoinVault malicious software occurred in the Netherlands, where two suspects were arrested for using the software to extort money from victims by encrypting their files and demanding ransom [51519]. (b) The CoinVault software incident affected victims not only in the Netherlands but also in the United States, Germany, France, and Britain, indicating that the malicious software targeted multiple organizations and individuals across different countries [51519].
Phase (Design/Operation) design, operation (a) The software failure incident in Article 51519 is related to the design phase. The malicious software known as "CoinVault" was designed to encrypt a target computer's files and demand a ransom in exchange for the decryption key. This design flaw allowed the suspects to hack into victims' computers and extort money from them [51519]. (b) The software failure incident in Article 51519 is also related to the operation phase. Victims who refused to pay the ransom demanded by the CoinVault software ended up losing their files, such as vacation photos, videos, and presentations. This loss of data was a result of the operation of the malicious software by the suspects [51519].
Boundary (Internal/External) within_system (a) The software failure incident described in the article is within_system. The suspects were arrested for using malicious software called "CoinVault" to encrypt victims' files and demand ransom for decryption keys. The software itself was designed to encrypt files and display a ransom message on the screen, indicating that the failure originated from within the system [51519].
Nature (Human/Non-human) non-human_actions (a) The software failure incident in Article 51519 was primarily due to non-human actions. The incident involved the use of malicious software known as "CoinVault" by two suspects to encrypt target computers' files and demand ransom for decryption keys. The software itself was designed to encrypt files and display a ransom message on the screen, indicating that the failure was caused by the actions of the software program rather than direct human intervention [51519].
Dimension (Hardware/Software) software (a) The software failure incident reported in Article 51519 was not due to hardware issues but rather originated in software. The incident involved the use of malicious software known as "CoinVault" by the suspects to encrypt target computers' files and demand ransom for decryption keys. The software flaw allowed the perpetrators to extort money from victims by encrypting their files and demanding payment in bitcoin to decrypt them. The suspects were arrested for using this software to hack into computers and encrypt files, indicating a software-related failure [51519].
Objective (Malicious/Non-malicious) malicious (a) The software failure incident described in Article 51519 is malicious in nature. The incident involved two suspects who were arrested for using malicious software called "CoinVault" to hack into computers and encrypt their files, demanding ransom in exchange for decryption keys. The suspects were accused of extorting money from victims by encrypting their files and demanding payment in bitcoin to conceal their identities. The software was designed to harm the victims by encrypting their personal files and demanding ransom for decryption, indicating a malicious intent behind the failure [51519].
Intent (Poor/Accidental Decisions) poor_decisions (a) The intent of the software failure incident: The software failure incident described in the article involves the use of malicious software known as "CoinVault" by two suspects to try to extort money from victims whose computers they hacked. The software encrypts a target computer's files and demands a ransom in exchange for the digital key needed to decrypt them. The suspects were identified to have encrypted 1,500 computers in multiple countries, and victims who refused to pay lost their files such as vacation photos, videos, and presentations. The software instructed victims to pay with bitcoin to conceal the criminals' identity. The suspects were arrested on suspicion of using this software for extortion purposes [51519]. (b) The intent of the software failure incident: The article does not provide information indicating that the software failure incident was due to accidental decisions or unintended mistakes. The suspects' actions of using the malicious software for extortion suggest a deliberate intent to commit cybercrime rather than accidental decisions leading to the failure [51519].
Capability (Incompetence/Accidental) unknown (a) The software failure incident in Article 51519 was not due to development incompetence. The individuals behind the malicious software "CoinVault" were identified as two young men, aged 18 and 22, who were arrested on suspicion of using the software to extort money from victims by encrypting their computer files and demanding ransom in exchange for decryption keys. The suspects were able to encrypt 1,500 computers in multiple countries, indicating a level of technical proficiency in creating and distributing the ransomware. (b) The software failure incident in Article 51519 was intentional and not accidental. The suspects deliberately used the CoinVault software to encrypt victims' files and demand ransom payments in bitcoin. The software was designed to keep the criminals' identities concealed, indicating a premeditated and deliberate act rather than an accidental introduction of flaws or errors.
Duration temporary The software failure incident described in Article 51519 can be categorized as a temporary failure. The incident involved the use of malicious software known as "CoinVault" by two suspects to encrypt files on victims' computers and demand ransom for decryption keys. This incident was temporary in nature as it was caused by the deliberate actions of the suspects who hacked into computers and encrypted files, leading to the temporary unavailability of the victims' data until a ransom was paid. The suspects' actions introduced contributing factors that led to the temporary failure of the affected computers [51519].
Behaviour omission, 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 [51519]. (b) omission: The software failure incident in the article involves omission where the system omits to perform its intended functions at an instance(s). The malicious software CoinVault encrypts a target computer's files and demands a ransom in exchange for the digital key needed to decrypt them. Victims who refused to pay lost their files [51519]. (c) timing: The software failure incident in the article does not involve timing issues where the system performs its intended functions correctly but too late or too early [51519]. (d) value: The software failure incident in the article does not involve the system performing its intended functions incorrectly [51519]. (e) byzantine: The software failure incident in the article does not involve the system behaving erroneously with inconsistent responses and interactions [51519]. (f) other: The software failure incident in the article involves extortion through the use of malicious software, CoinVault, to encrypt files and demand ransom from victims. The behavior of the software in this case is related to extortion and encryption of files [51519].

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 CoinVault ransomware resulted in victims losing access to their files, including vacation photos, videos, and presentations, as their computers' files were encrypted by the malicious software. The perpetrators demanded a ransom in exchange for the digital key needed to decrypt the files. Victims who refused to pay the ransom ended up losing their files [51519].
Domain information, finance, other (a) The failed system in the incident was related to the production and distribution of information. The malicious software known as "CoinVault" encrypted a target computer's files and demanded a ransom in exchange for the digital key needed to decrypt them [Article 51519]. (h) The incident also involved the finance industry as the victims were instructed to pay the ransom with bitcoin, a digital currency, in order to keep the criminals' identity concealed [Article 51519]. (m) The incident could also be categorized under the "other" industry as it involved cybercrime and extortion through the use of malicious software, which is not limited to a specific industry but rather a criminal activity targeting individuals and organizations [Article 51519].

Sources

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