Critical

Johnson Controls Inc. Airwall

All CISA Advisories

Overview

Johnson Controls Inc. has identified serious vulnerabilities in its Airwall software, specifically affecting versions 4.0.4 and earlier. These flaws could let attackers decrypt sensitive data, bypass authentication, and access unauthorized files on the system. One vulnerability involves a hardcoded cryptographic key that is the same across all installations, making it easier for attackers to exploit. Another allows for arbitrary file read through inadequate validation of user input, potentially exposing sensitive configuration files or credentials. Companies using affected versions are urged to upgrade to version 4.1.0 or later and implement security best practices to mitigate risks.

Key Takeaways

  • Affected Systems: Johnson Controls Inc. Airwall versions <=4.0.4
  • Action Required: Upgrade to version 4.
  • Timeline: Disclosed on October 2023

Original Article Summary

View CSAF Summary Successful exploitation of these vulnerabilities could allow an attacker to decrypt sensitive data, bypass authentication controls, gaining unauthorized access to read arbitrary files on the system, or gain unauthorized access to protected system resources. The following versions of Johnson Controls Inc. Airwall are affected: Airwall <=4.0.4 (CVE-2026-64887, CVE-2026-34492) CVSS Vendor Equipment Vulnerabilities v3 6.8 Johnson Controls Inc. Johnson Controls Inc. Airwall Use of Hard-coded Cryptographic Key, External Control of File Name or Path Background Critical Infrastructure Sectors: Critical Manufacturing, Commercial Facilities, Government Services and Facilities, Transportation Systems, Energy Countries/Areas Deployed: Worldwide Company Headquarters Location: Ireland Vulnerabilities Expand All + CVE-2026-64887 A hardcoded password or cryptographic key was identified in the Airwall application. A hardcoded credential leads to a significant authentication failure that can be difficult for system or application administrators to detect. Once discovered, it is difficult to remediate without manually modifying or patching the software. The hardcoded key is identical across all installations of the product and across all customer organizations, meaning a single disclosure of the key - common on the internet - grants any knowledgeable attacker access to all affected deployments. An attacker with access to application code or binary files can use the hardcoded key to decrypt sensitive application data stored in configuration and database files, enabling further data disclosure or compromise of application infrastructure. View CVE Details Affected Products Johnson Controls Inc. Airwall Vendor: Johnson Controls Inc. Product Version: Johnson Controls Inc. Airwall: <=4.0.4 Product Status: known_affected Remediations Mitigation To help reduce risk of exploitation, Johnson Controls recommends the following defensive measures: Apply v4.1.0 or later patches for all Airwalls. Mitigation Store all cryptographic keys in a secure key management system (KMS) or hardware security module (HSM) rather than embedding them in source code or configuration files. (CVE-2026-64887) Mitigation Implement a regular key rotation policy to limit the exposure window if a key is compromised. (CVE-2026-64887) Mitigation Use unique cryptographic keys per device, installation, or deployment instance to prevent a single compromised key from affecting all installations. (CVE-2026-64887) Mitigation Remove any hard-coded keys from source code repositories and binaries, replacing them with references to secure external key stores. (CVE-2026-64887)Apply the principle of least privilege to key access, ensuring only authorized processes and personnel can retrieve cryptographic material. (CVE-2026-64887) Mitigation Use static analysis and secrets-scanning tools in CI/CD pipelines to detect and prevent hard-coded keys from being committed to source control. (CVE-2026-64887) Mitigation Encrypt keys at rest and in transit and ensure key-wrapping mechanisms are in place for any keys stored on disk. (CVE-2026-64887) Mitigation Audit and monitor access to cryptographic keys, logging all retrieval and usage events for anomaly detection. (CVE-2026-64887) Mitigation Refer to and follow all steps in the product hardening guide or the JCI universal hardening guide found here https://www.johnsoncontrols.com/trust-center/cybersecurity/resources (CVE-2026-64887) https://www.johnsoncontrols.com/trust-center/cybersecurity/resources Mitigation For more detailed mitigation instructions, please see Johnson Controls Product Security Advisory JCI-PSA-2026-25 at the following location: https://www.johnsoncontrols.com/trust-center/cybersecurity/security-advisories (CVE-2026-64887) https://www.johnsoncontrols.com/trust-center/cybersecurity/security-advisories Relevant CWE: CWE-321 Use of Hard-coded Cryptographic Key Metrics CVSS Version Base Score Base Severity Vector String 3.1 6.8 MEDIUM CVSS:3.1/AV:L/AC:L/PR:N/UI:N/S:U/C:H/I:L/A:N 4.0 7 HIGH CVSS:4.0/AV:L/AC:L/AT:N/PR:N/UI:N/VC:H/VI:L/VA:N/SC:N/SI:N/SA:N CVE-2026-34492 An arbitrary file read vulnerability was identified in the Airwall application. This issue occurs when user-supplied input is directly incorporated into filesystem access functions without adequate validation or sanitization. As a result, an attacker can request and obtain the contents of arbitrary files on the server, including sensitive configuration files, source code, credential stores, and private keys, provided the application process has permission to read them. The vulnerability is commonly exploited through path traversal sequences (e.g., ../) or absolute file paths (e.g., /etc/passwd). Encoding variations of traversal sequences (e.g., %2e%2e%2f) can also bypass basic filters. View CVE Details Affected Products Johnson Controls Inc. Airwall Vendor: Johnson Controls Inc. Product Version: Johnson Controls Inc. Airwall: <=4.0.4 Product Status: known_affected Remediations Mitigation To help reduce risk of exploitation, Johnson Controls recommends the following defensive measures: Apply v4.1.0 or later patches for all Airwalls. Mitigation Validate and sanitize all user-supplied input before using it in file system operations (CVE-2026-34492) Mitigation Implement strict allowlists for permitted file paths, file names, and directories (CVE-2026-34492) Mitigation Use canonicalization to resolve path traversal sequences before validation (CVE-2026-34492) Mitigation Apply the principle of least privilege to the application file system access permissions (CVE-2026-34492) Mitigation Deploy sandboxing or chroot jails to restrict the application's file system scope (CVE-2026-34492) Mitigation Avoid passing user-controlled data directly to file system APIs (CVE-2026-34492) Mitigation Refer to and follow all steps in the product hardening guide or the JCI universal hardening guide found here https://www.johnsoncontrols.com/trust-center/cybersecurity/resources (CVE-2026-34492) https://www.johnsoncontrols.com/trust-center/cybersecurity/resources Mitigation For more detailed mitigation instructions, please see Johnson Controls Product Security Advisory JCI-PSA-2026-18 at the following location: https://www.johnsoncontrols.com/trust-center/cybersecurity/security-advisories (CVE-2026-34492) https://www.johnsoncontrols.com/trust-center/cybersecurity/security-advisories Relevant CWE: CWE-73 External Control of File Name or Path Metrics CVSS Version Base Score Base Severity Vector String 3.1 6.4 MEDIUM CVSS:3.1/AV:N/AC:H/PR:N/UI:R/S:U/C:H/I:L/A:L 4.0 5.9 MEDIUM CVSS:4.0/AV:N/AC:H/AT:N/PR:N/UI:A/VC:H/VI:L/VA:L/SC:N/SI:N/SA:N Acknowledgments Johnson Controls reported these vulnerabilities to CISA Legal Notice and Terms of Use This product is provided subject to this Notification (https://www.cisa.gov/notification) and this Privacy & Use policy (https://www.cisa.gov/privacy-policy). Recommended Practices CISA recommends users take defensive measures to minimize the risk of exploitation of these vulnerabilities. Minimize network exposure for all control system devices and/or systems, ensuring they are not accessible from the internet. Locate control system networks and remote devices behind firewalls and isolating them from business networks. When remote access is required, use more secure methods, such as Virtual Private Networks (VPNs), recognizing VPNs may have vulnerabilities and should be updated to the most current version available. Also recognize VPN is only as secure as the connected devices. CISA reminds organizations to perform proper impact analysis and risk assessment prior to deploying defensive measures. CISA also provides a section for control systems security recommended practices on the ICS webpage on cisa.gov/ics. Several CISA products detailing cyber defense best practices are available for reading and download, including Improving Industrial Control Systems Cybersecurity with Defense-in-Depth Strategies. CISA encourages organizations to implement recommended cybersecurity strategies for proactive defense of ICS assets. Additional mitigation guidance and recommended practices are publicly available on the ICS webpage at cisa.gov/ics in the technical information paper, ICS-TIP-12-146-01B--Targeted Cyber Intrusion Detection and Mitigation Strategies. Organizations observing suspected malicious activity should follow established internal procedures and report findings to CISA for tracking and correlation against other incidents. CISA also recommends users take the following measures to protect themselves from social engineering attacks: Do not click web links or open attachments in unsolicited email messages. Refer to Recognizing and Avoiding Email Scams for more information on avoiding email scams. Refer to Avoiding Social Engineering and Phishing Attacks for more information on social engineering attacks. No known public exploitation specifically targeting this (these) vulnerability(ies) has been reported to CISA at this time. This (these) vulnerability(ies) is (are) not exploitable remotely. This (these) vulnerability(ies) has (have) a high attack complexity. Revision History Initial Release Date: 2026-08-13 Date Revision Summary 2026-08-13 1 Initial Republication of Johnson Controls JCI-PSA-2026-18 and JCI-PSA-2026-25 Legal Notice and Terms of Use

Impact

Johnson Controls Inc. Airwall versions <=4.0.4

Exploitation Status

No active exploitation has been reported at this time. However, organizations should still apply patches promptly as proof-of-concept code may exist.

Timeline

Disclosed on October 2023

Remediation

Upgrade to version 4.1.0 or later. Store cryptographic keys in a secure key management system instead of hardcoding them. Implement a key rotation policy and use unique keys for each installation. Validate and sanitize all user input for file system operations, and apply strict allowlists for file paths. Use canonicalization to resolve path traversal sequences. Follow steps in the product hardening guide provided by Johnson Controls.

Additional Information

This threat intelligence is aggregated from trusted cybersecurity sources. For the most up-to-date information, technical details, and official vendor guidance, please refer to the original article linked below.

Related Topics: This incident relates to Phishing, CVE, Exploit, and 2 more.

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