SOFTWARE SAFETY

SOFTWARE SAFETY

1. Software Failure Causes

   • 1. Due to behavior of users such as incorrect action, incorrect usage and unauthorized access software
   • 2. Caused by hardware failures such as design error, materials defect, or enviromental effects and stress.
     • Examples
       • Environmental Effects & Stress: Extreme Temperature
       • Design Error: Incompatible Hardware Components
       • Material Defect: Damaged Sectors of a Hard Disk Drive
   • 3. Poor team management in maintaining the software can lead to software failure too. Developers must be responsible and keep in check the software’s status from time to time if there are any existing risks.

2. Software Failure Examples

   • a. Wales National Health Service (NHS) experienced widespread software failure causing backlog of appointments as no cancellation allow in hospital system, patients’ profile couldn’t be seen led to blocked access of X-ray result happened in 2018 involved several healthcare facilities.
   • b. Data Loss at Gitlab (Smith, 2020). There is a server data loss happen that affected GitLab. It is a major outage in the IT world.
   • c. A Hatch nuclear power plant in Georgia, USA was forced into emergency shutdown for48 hours due to a software update to a business network computer.

3. Definition

   • Active measures taken to prevent, eliminate, and/or control of hazard that may be caused or induced by Software.

4. Comparison

   • Software Safety
     • - Classify the hazard using industry specific methodology.
     • - Reactive approach which takes place after software is deployed.
     • - People or other systems will not be damage.
   • Software Security
     • - Classify the vulnerability using industry specific methodology.
     • - Proactive approach which takes place within pre-deployment phase.
     • - Has protection against malicious attacks.