| Recurring |
one_organization |
(a) The software failure incident related to Groupon's security hole exposing customer data was described as an isolated incident caused by human error. Groupon spokeswoman Julie Mossler mentioned that they would take steps to separate the accounts and prevent a repeat of the error in the future [10925].
(b) The article did not mention any similar incidents happening at other organizations or with their products and services. |
| Phase (Design/Operation) |
design, operation |
(a) The software failure incident in the article is related to the design phase. The incident occurred due to human error which inadvertently merged two accounts by users of the same name. This design flaw led to the exposure of sensitive customer data, including credit card information and addresses, to the wrong user [10925].
(b) The software failure incident in the article is also related to the operation phase. The customer, Stephen Pipino, noticed that the site appeared to automatically store his credit card data without his permission. This operation flaw raised concerns about the security and privacy practices of the website, indicating a failure in the operation or misuse of the system [10925]. |
| Boundary (Internal/External) |
within_system |
(a) within_system: The software failure incident reported in the article seems to be primarily within the system. The incident was described as an isolated case of human error where two accounts were inadvertently merged due to users having the same name [10925]. Additionally, the issue of the website automatically storing credit card data without customer permission also points towards an internal system flaw in Groupon's website design and functionality [10925]. |
| Nature (Human/Non-human) |
non-human_actions, human_actions |
(a) The software failure incident in the Groupon case was attributed to a case of human error, specifically the inadvertent merging of two accounts by users with the same name. This non-human action led to the exposure of sensitive data belonging to one customer to another customer [10925].
(b) On the other hand, the incident also highlighted concerns raised by the customer, Stephen Pipino, regarding the automatic storage of credit card data without customer permission on the Groupon website. This human action of storing sensitive information without explicit consent raised security and privacy issues for the customers [10925]. |
| Dimension (Hardware/Software) |
software |
(a) The software failure incident reported in the article does not indicate any contributing factors originating in hardware. It primarily focuses on a security hole in Groupon's website that exposed the data of at least one customer due to human error and account merging issues.
(b) The software failure incident is attributed to human error and software issues on Groupon's website. The incident involved the merging of two accounts by users with the same name, leading to the exposure of sensitive information such as credit card details and addresses. Groupon's spokeswoman mentioned it was an isolated incident caused by human error, and steps were taken to address the issue and prevent its recurrence in the future [10925]. |
| Objective (Malicious/Non-malicious) |
non-malicious |
(a) The software failure incident described in the article is non-malicious. It was identified as an isolated incident and a case of human error where two accounts were inadvertently merged due to users having the same name. Groupon spokeswoman Julie Mossler mentioned that it was not a compromise of multiple accounts and that steps were being taken to rectify the error and prevent it from happening again in the future [10925]. |
| Intent (Poor/Accidental Decisions) |
poor_decisions, accidental_decisions |
(a) The software failure incident in the Groupon case seems to be more aligned with poor_decisions. The incident was described as an "isolated incident and a case of human error" where two accounts were inadvertently merged due to users having the same name. Additionally, the issue of automatically storing credit card data without customer permission was highlighted, indicating a poor decision in terms of data security and privacy [10925]. |
| Capability (Incompetence/Accidental) |
development_incompetence, accidental |
(a) The software failure incident in the Groupon case seems to be more related to development incompetence. The incident was described as a case of human error where two accounts were inadvertently merged due to users having the same name. This merging of accounts led to sensitive information being exposed, indicating a lack of professional competence in handling user data securely [10925].
(b) Additionally, the incident also involved accidental factors. The Groupon spokeswoman mentioned that it was an isolated incident and apologized for potentially causing stress to the customers. The automatic storage of credit card data without customer permission and the issue of the new credit card being stored without explicit consent also point towards accidental mishaps in the software system [10925]. |
| Duration |
temporary |
(a) The software failure incident described in the article seems to be temporary rather than permanent. The incident was described as an isolated incident and a case of human error where two accounts were inadvertently merged due to users having the same name [10925]. Groupon took immediate action by freezing the account in question, separating the two accounts, and ensuring that such errors would not be repeated in the future. This indicates that the failure was due to specific circumstances and not a permanent issue affecting all users. |
| Behaviour |
value, other |
(a) crash: The incident described in the article does not involve a crash where the system loses state and does not perform any of its intended functions. The system seems to be functioning, but there is a data exposure issue.
(b) omission: The incident does not involve the system omitting to perform its intended functions at an instance(s). The issue here is related to data exposure and unauthorized access.
(c) timing: The incident is not related to the system performing its intended functions correctly but too late or too early. The focus is on the security vulnerability and data leakage.
(d) value: The software failure incident is related to the system performing its intended functions incorrectly by exposing sensitive customer data to the wrong user.
(e) byzantine: The incident does not exhibit the characteristics of a byzantine failure where the system behaves erroneously with inconsistent responses and interactions.
(f) other: The behavior of the software failure incident in this case is related to a security vulnerability that led to the merging of two customer accounts with similar names, resulting in the exposure of sensitive data [10925]. |