| Recurring |
one_organization, multiple_organization |
(a) The software failure incident having happened again at one_organization:
- The incident of hackers targeting children with sites that install malicious software on PCs disguised as innocent-looking cartoon gaming websites has been reported to have happened again within the same context. For example, one site, CuteArcade.com, reportedly infected 12,600 computers [9906].
- The article mentions that within the last month, the security firm identified 60 sites with the word 'Game' or 'Arcade' in the title that were infected with malicious software, indicating a recurring issue within the same domain [9906].
(b) The software failure incident having happened again at multiple_organization:
- The incident of hackers targeting children with malicious software disguised as innocent gaming websites has been reported to have happened at multiple organizations. For instance, HiddenNinjaGames.com is mentioned as another site posing a risk according to the security firm [9906].
- The article highlights that there were 60 sites identified with the word 'Game' or 'Arcade' in the title that were infected with malicious software, suggesting a broader issue across multiple organizations [9906]. |
| Phase (Design/Operation) |
design, operation |
(a) The software failure incident related to the design phase can be seen in the article where hackers targeted children with cartoon gaming websites that secretly infect their parents' PCs. The malicious software was disguised as innocent-looking cartoon gaming websites, which were designed to quietly load programs onto the PCs in the background, posing a danger to the users [9906].
(b) The software failure incident related to the operation phase can be observed in the article where children were targeted with sites offering free games. The children, being impulsive in their browsing behavior, were more susceptible to clicking on links without much thought, leading to the operation of the malicious software on their parents' computers [9906]. |
| Boundary (Internal/External) |
within_system, outside_system |
(a) The software failure incident described in the article is primarily within_system. The failure occurs due to malicious software being installed on PCs through innocent-looking cartoon gaming websites that children access. The malicious software quietly loads programs onto the PCs, which can steal information from adults long after the children have logged off. This indicates that the failure originates from within the system itself, as the malicious software is introduced through the gaming websites [9906].
(b) Additionally, the article mentions that the malicious software infects the computer with trojan software that directs the PC towards sites which infect it with further malicious software. This aspect of the failure, where the infection spreads to other sites and introduces more malware, can be considered as an outside_system contributing factor. The external sites hosting the additional malware contribute to the spread and impact of the software failure incident [9906]. |
| Nature (Human/Non-human) |
non-human_actions, human_actions |
(a) The software failure incident occurring due to non-human actions:
- The incident involves hackers targeting children with cartoon gaming websites that secretly infect their parents' PCs with malicious software [9906].
- The malicious software is installed on PCs through innocent-looking cartoon gaming websites, which quietly load programs onto the PCs in the background, leading to infections that remain even after children log off [9906].
- The infections are introduced through 'driveby downloads' that direct the PC towards sites which further infect it with malicious software [9906].
(b) The software failure incident occurring due to human actions:
- The incident highlights how hackers are exploiting children's impulsiveness and lack of caution while browsing the web, making them easy targets for clicking on links that install malicious software [9906].
- The security firm identified 60 sites with the word 'Game' or 'Arcade' in the title that were infected with malicious software, either through the sites themselves or infected adverts, indicating a human factor in creating or distributing these infected sites [9906].
- The article mentions that some of the infected sites may have been created specifically to distribute malware, suggesting a deliberate human action in creating these malicious platforms [9906]. |
| Dimension (Hardware/Software) |
software |
(a) The software failure incident occurring due to hardware:
- The article does not mention any specific hardware-related failures that contributed to the software incident. It primarily focuses on how hackers are targeting children with malicious software disguised as innocent cartoon gaming websites, leading to infections on parents' PCs [9906].
(b) The software failure incident occurring due to software:
- The software failure incident in this case is primarily due to malicious software being installed on PCs through cartoon gaming websites targeted at children. The software quietly loads programs onto the PCs, which can steal information from adults even after the children have logged off. This malicious software is disguised as innocent-looking games, posing a significant risk to users [9906]. |
| Objective (Malicious/Non-malicious) |
malicious |
(a) The objective of the software failure incident was malicious, as hackers targeted children with innocent-looking cartoon gaming websites that secretly infected their parents' PCs with malicious software [9906]. The sites disguised as cute games quietly loaded programs onto the PCs, which could steal information from adults long after the children had logged off. The hackers took advantage of children's impulsiveness and lack of caution while browsing the web to infect the computers with trojan software and further malicious programs. The sites were created specifically to distribute malware, making the failure incident malicious in nature. |
| Intent (Poor/Accidental Decisions) |
poor_decisions, accidental_decisions |
(a) The intent of the software failure incident was poor_decisions as hackers deliberately targeted children with innocent-looking cartoon gaming websites that secretly infected their parents' PCs. The sites were designed to install malicious software disguised as cute games, taking advantage of children's tendency to click on links without much thought. This deliberate act by the hackers to exploit children's behavior demonstrates a poor decision to use deceptive tactics to infect computers [9906].
(b) The software failure incident could also be attributed to accidental_decisions as children, being the target of the malicious software, were not intentionally seeking to harm their parents' PCs. Their innocent actions of playing online games led to the inadvertent installation of malicious programs on the computers. This unintended consequence highlights how the incident was driven by accidental decisions made by the children rather than a deliberate malicious intent on their part [9906]. |
| Capability (Incompetence/Accidental) |
development_incompetence, accidental |
(a) The software failure incident related to development incompetence is evident in the article as hackers targeted children with cartoon gaming websites that secretly infected their parents' PCs. The malicious software was disguised as innocent-looking gaming websites, specifically targeting children who are seen as easy targets due to their impulsiveness and lack of caution while browsing. This indicates a lack of professional competence on the part of the hackers who exploited the vulnerability of children to gain access to their parents' PCs [9906].
(b) The accidental software failure incident is highlighted in the article where children were unknowingly exposed to malicious software through innocent-looking cartoon gaming websites. The infections remained on the PCs even after the children logged off, posing a risk to the parents' information security. This accidental exposure of PCs to malware due to children's innocent actions demonstrates a scenario where the failure was introduced accidentally, leading to potential data theft and security breaches [9906]. |
| Duration |
temporary |
The software failure incident described in the article is temporary. The incident involves malicious software being installed on PCs through innocent-looking cartoon gaming websites, targeting children who unknowingly infect their parents' PCs. The infections remain on the PCs even after the children log off, indicating a temporary failure caused by specific circumstances introduced by the malicious websites [9906]. |
| Behaviour |
omission, value, other |
(a) crash: The software failure incident described in the articles does not specifically mention a crash where the system loses state and stops performing its intended functions.
(b) omission: The incident involves the omission of performing intended functions by the system. In this case, the malicious software installed on PCs through innocent-looking cartoon gaming websites omits to perform its intended functions of providing harmless entertainment to children but instead lurks in the background to steal information from adults [9906].
(c) timing: The incident does not involve a timing failure where the system performs its intended functions too late or too early.
(d) value: The software failure incident falls under the category of a value failure. The malicious software installed on PCs performs its intended functions incorrectly by posing as innocent cartoon gaming websites for children while actually stealing information from adults [9906].
(e) byzantine: The incident does not exhibit a byzantine behavior where the system behaves erroneously with inconsistent responses and interactions.
(f) other: The other behavior exhibited in this software failure incident is deception. The malicious software deceives users by presenting itself as harmless cartoon gaming websites for children while its true intention is to infect PCs and steal information from adults [9906]. |