| Recurring |
unknown |
<Article 22640> does not provide information about the software failure incident happening again at the same organization or at multiple organizations. Therefore, the answer to this question is 'unknown'. |
| Phase (Design/Operation) |
design, operation |
(a) The software failure incident in the LA school system distributing free iPads to students can be attributed to design factors introduced during the system development phase. The incident occurred because the security settings on the iPads were not robust enough to prevent students from easily bypassing them to access unauthorized websites and apps like Facebook, YouTube, and games [22640].
(b) Additionally, the software failure incident can also be linked to operation factors introduced by the misuse of the system. Students were able to manipulate the iPads by deleting the established profiles and setting up their own Internet connections to access social media and games, highlighting operational weaknesses in how the devices were being used [22640]. |
| Boundary (Internal/External) |
within_system |
(a) within_system: The software failure incident in the LA school system involving the free iPads for students was primarily due to contributing factors that originated from within the system. The incident occurred because nearly 300 students were able to alter the school-supplied iPads' security settings to access unauthorized websites and apps like Facebook, YouTube, and games [22640]. The weak security setup implemented by the school district allowed students to easily bypass the security measures by deleting the established profile and setting up an Internet connection on the iPads [22640]. This internal vulnerability within the system led to the failure of the intended educational use of the iPads and raised concerns about the lack of planning and security measures in place [22640]. |
| Nature (Human/Non-human) |
human_actions |
(a) The software failure incident in this case was primarily due to human actions. Students were able to decode the security settings of the iPads provided by the school district, allowing them to access unauthorized websites and apps, such as Facebook, YouTube, and games like Temple Run and Subway Surfing [22640]. The incident highlighted the lack of proper planning and security measures in the distribution of iPads to students, leading to the breach of security settings without any direct non-human actions contributing to the failure. |
| Dimension (Hardware/Software) |
hardware, software |
(a) The software failure incident related to hardware can be seen in the article where it mentions that students were able to alter the school-supplied iPad's security settings to access unauthorized websites and apps like Facebook, YouTube, and Pandora. This indicates a failure in the hardware's security measures [22640].
(b) The software failure incident related to software can be observed in the same article where it describes how students were able to bypass the security settings by accessing the tablet's settings, deleting the profile established by the school district, and setting up an Internet connection. This indicates a failure in the software's security implementation [22640]. |
| Objective (Malicious/Non-malicious) |
non-malicious |
(a) The software failure incident in the LA school system involving the free iPads for students was non-malicious. The incident occurred when nearly 300 students were able to alter the school-supplied iPad's security settings to access unauthorized websites and apps, such as Facebook, YouTube, and games like Temple Run and Subway Surfing [22640]. The students found it easy to bypass the security measures by deleting the profile established by the school district and setting up an Internet connection, indicating a lack of robust security measures rather than a malicious intent to harm the system. |
| Intent (Poor/Accidental Decisions) |
poor_decisions |
(a) The software failure incident related to the distribution of iPads to students in the Los Angeles Unified School District can be attributed to poor decisions made by education officials. The incident occurred when more than 300 students were able to alter the security settings on the school-supplied iPads to access unauthorized websites and apps, such as Facebook, YouTube, and games [22640]. This failure highlights the lack of proper planning and oversight in implementing the program, as students were able to easily bypass the security measures put in place by the district. Additionally, concerns were raised about the lack of adequate software to support English-as-a-second-language students, indicating a lack of thorough consideration in the planning process [22640]. |
| Capability (Incompetence/Accidental) |
development_incompetence, accidental |
(a) The software failure incident in the LA school system with the free iPads for students can be attributed to development incompetence. The incident occurred because nearly 300 students were able to alter the school-supplied iPads' security settings to access unauthorized websites and apps like Facebook, YouTube, and games [22640]. This indicates a lack of professional competence in setting up robust security measures on the devices, allowing students to easily bypass them.
(b) Additionally, the incident also involved accidental factors, as students were able to exploit the weak security setup accidentally. One student mentioned that accessing the tablet's settings, deleting the profile established by the school district, and setting up an Internet connection was so easy that even the most tech-challenged parent could have done it. This accidental exploitation of the security flaws highlights a combination of development incompetence and accidental factors contributing to the software failure incident [22640]. |
| Duration |
temporary |
(a) The software failure incident in this case appears to be temporary. The incident involved students altering the security settings of the school-supplied iPads to access unauthorized websites and apps, such as Facebook, YouTube, and games like Temple Run and Subway Surfing [22640]. The district officials quickly confiscated the devices, put a freeze on using them off-campus, and promised to improve the security settings to prevent such unauthorized access in the future. This indicates that the failure was temporary and could be addressed through improved security measures. |
| Behaviour |
crash, omission, value, other |
(a) crash: The software failure incident in the LA school system involved a crash where the iPads lost their intended functionality due to students altering the security settings to access unauthorized websites and apps, such as Facebook, YouTube, and games like Temple Run and Subway Surfing. This led to the system not performing its intended functions as expected [22640].
(b) omission: The incident also involved an omission failure where the iPads omitted to perform their intended educational functions, such as solving math problems or doing English homework, as administrators had envisioned. Instead, students used the iPads for unauthorized activities like social media and gaming [22640].
(c) timing: There is no specific mention of a timing-related failure in the articles.
(d) value: The software failure incident also included a value failure where the iPads were used incorrectly for non-educational purposes, such as accessing social media and playing games, rather than for their intended educational value [22640].
(e) byzantine: The articles do not mention a byzantine behavior in the software failure incident.
(f) other: The software failure incident also involved a security vulnerability where students were able to easily bypass the security settings of the iPads by deleting the established profiles and setting up their own Internet connections. This behavior was not anticipated by the school district and led to unauthorized access and usage of the devices [22640]. |