Kryptonite new york fahgettaboudit u-lock disaster

I think they've salvaged the situation pretty well but the fact is the barrel failed - seemingly without warning. I suppose the weather may have been a factor and it may have been an idea to put some lube in the lock some time ago.

I have one but it's probably overkill considering the bits of thread people use to lock their bikes around here and I'm more concerned with something like this happening than it being cut and my bike being robbed.

One of my Kryptos has been out in the weather for ages. It's a bit tight (ooh nurse) but still works fine. Every company can make manufacturing mistakes and if this was a common problem I'm sure we'd hear a lot more about it. Is it possible that someone actually had a go at attacking the lock barrel and that's why it failed?