| Recurring |
one_organization |
(a) The software failure incident related to MI5 wrongly collecting subscriber data due to a software error has happened within the same organization. The interception of communications commissioner Sir Paul Kennedy's annual report highlighted how a spreadsheet formatting error caused MI5 to collect data on telephone numbers incorrectly. This incident led to the acquisition of irrelevant subscriber data, which had no connection to any ongoing investigations or operations. However, steps were taken to rectify the formatting fault and manually check numbers before requesting subscriber data [6064].
(b) There is no specific mention in the articles about the software failure incident related to MI5 happening at other organizations or with their products and services. |
| Phase (Design/Operation) |
design |
(a) The software failure incident in the article was related to the design phase. The incident occurred due to a spreadsheet formatting error that caused MI5 to wrongly collect subscriber data on 134 telephone numbers. The error led the service to apply for data on the identity of telephone numbers ending in 000 instead of the actual last three digits. This design flaw resulted in acquiring subscriber data that had no connection or relevance to any investigation or operation being undertaken by the Security Service [6064].
(b) The article does not provide information about a software failure incident related to the operation phase. |
| Boundary (Internal/External) |
within_system |
(a) The software failure incident reported in Article 6064 falls under the within_system category. The failure was attributed to a spreadsheet formatting error within the system used by MI5, which caused the service to collect subscriber data on telephone numbers ending in 000 instead of the actual last three digits. Additionally, the incident involving the acquisition of data on internet protocol addresses without proper authorization was also linked to an incorrect setting on the system used by the Security Service [6064]. |
| Nature (Human/Non-human) |
non-human_actions |
(a) The software failure incident in Article 6064 occurred due to non-human actions. Specifically, a spreadsheet formatting error caused MI5 to wrongly collect subscriber data on 134 telephone numbers, as the service applied for data on the identity of telephone numbers ending in 000 instead of the actual last three digits. This error was not intentional and was a result of a formatting fault in the system used by MI5 [6064]. |
| Dimension (Hardware/Software) |
software |
(a) The software failure incident mentioned in the article was primarily due to a software error rather than hardware issues. The incident occurred because of a spreadsheet formatting error that caused MI5 to wrongly collect subscriber data on telephone numbers [6064]. The error led to the service applying for data on the identity of telephone numbers ending in 000 instead of the actual last three digits. Additionally, the acquisition of data on internet protocol addresses without authorization was attributed to an incorrect setting on the system used by the Security Service [6064].
(b) The software failure incident was attributed to contributing factors originating in software. The errors mentioned, such as the spreadsheet formatting error and the incorrect setting on the system, point to software-related issues that led to the failure incident [6064]. |
| Objective (Malicious/Non-malicious) |
non-malicious |
(a) The software failure incident described in Article 6064 was non-malicious. The failure occurred due to a spreadsheet formatting error that caused MI5 to wrongly collect subscriber data on 134 telephone numbers. This error led to the acquisition of subscriber data that had no connection or relevance to any investigation or operation being undertaken by the Security Service. Additionally, the incident where MI5 acquired data on the histories of 927 internet protocol addresses without authorization was also attributed to an incorrect setting on the system used by the Security Service. These errors were not intentional but rather resulted from technical mistakes within the software systems [6064]. |
| Intent (Poor/Accidental Decisions) |
poor_decisions |
(a) The intent of the software failure incident related to poor decisions can be seen in the article. The software error that led MI5 to wrongly collect subscriber data on 134 telephone numbers was attributed to a spreadsheet formatting error. This error caused the service to apply for data on the identity of telephone numbers ending in 000 instead of the actual last three digits. This mistake was a result of a poor decision in the formatting of the spreadsheet, leading to the incorrect data collection [6064]. |
| Capability (Incompetence/Accidental) |
development_incompetence, accidental |
(a) The software failure incident related to development incompetence is evident in the article. The interception of communications commissioner Sir Paul Kennedy's annual report highlighted that MI5 wrongly collected subscriber data on 134 telephone numbers due to a software error caused by a spreadsheet formatting mistake. This error led the service to request data on telephone numbers ending in 000 instead of the actual last three digits, showing a lack of professional competence in handling the software system [6064].
(b) The software failure incident related to accidental factors is also present in the article. It mentions that MI5 acquired data on the histories of 927 internet protocol addresses without proper authorization from a sufficiently senior officer due to an incorrect setting on the system used by the Security Service. This indicates that the failure was accidental, resulting from an incorrect system setting rather than intentional actions [6064]. |
| Duration |
temporary |
(a) The software failure incident related to MI5 wrongly collecting subscriber data on telephone numbers and acquiring data on internet protocol addresses was temporary. The incident was caused by a spreadsheet formatting error and an incorrect setting on the system used by the Security Service. These specific contributing factors introduced by certain circumstances led to the failure. However, measures were taken to correct the errors, such as destroying the acquired data, fixing the formatting fault, and correcting the setting on the systems to prevent future occurrences [6064]. |
| Behaviour |
crash, omission, value, other |
(a) crash: The software error in the MI5 system led to the collection of subscriber data on 134 telephone numbers that had no connection or relevance to any investigation or operation being undertaken by the Security Service. This indicates a failure where the system lost its state and did not perform its intended function correctly [6064].
(b) omission: The incorrect setting on the system used by MI5 resulted in the acquisition of data on the histories of 927 internet protocol addresses without authorization from a sufficiently senior officer. This omission to obtain proper authorization before collecting the data showcases a failure of the system to perform its intended functions correctly at that instance [6064].
(c) timing: There is no specific mention of a timing-related failure in the articles provided.
(d) value: The software error in the MI5 system caused the acquisition of subscriber data and internet protocol addresses that had no connection to any ongoing investigations or operations. This indicates a failure where the system performed its intended functions incorrectly by providing irrelevant data [6064].
(e) byzantine: There is no indication of a byzantine behavior in the articles provided.
(f) other: The software error in the MI5 system led to a formatting fault where subscriber data was acquired based on telephone numbers ending in 000 instead of the actual last three digits. This behavior is not explicitly described in the options (a) to (e) and can be categorized as an 'other' behavior where the system behaved in an unexpected manner, resulting in incorrect data acquisition [6064]. |