Critical

Johnson Controls Simplex Incident Manager

All CISA Advisories

Overview

A vulnerability in Johnson Controls' Simplex Incident Manager could allow local attackers to extract user credentials stored in cleartext in system memory. This issue affects versions of the software up to and including V2.01 (CVE-2026-27875). Organizations using this application, which is deployed in critical sectors like manufacturing, government, and energy, face risks of unauthorized access to their systems. Johnson Controls has released a patched version (v2.01.01) to address this issue and recommends that users restrict local access to authorized personnel, implement endpoint protection, and enforce strong access controls. While no public exploitation has been reported, the potential for abuse remains a concern for users of the affected software.

Key Takeaways

  • Affected Systems: Johnson Controls Simplex Incident Manager (versions <=V2.01), Johnson Controls Inc.
  • Action Required: Upgrade the Simplex Incident Manager to version v2.
  • Timeline: Newly disclosed

Original Article Summary

View CSAF Summary Successful exploitation of this vulnerability could allow a local attacker with low privileges to extract user credentials (passwords and authentication tokens) from system memory, potentially leading to unauthorized access to the application and connected systems. The following versions of Johnson Controls Simplex Incident Manager are affected: Simplex Incident Manager <=V2.01 (CVE-2026-27875) CVSS Vendor Equipment Vulnerabilities v3 5.8 Johnson Controls Inc. Johnson Controls Simplex Incident Manager Cleartext Storage of Sensitive Information in Memory 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-2026-27875 The Simplex Incident Manager application stores user credentials (such as passwords and authentication tokens) in an unencrypted form within system memory while running. This exposes sensitive information to potential extraction by anyone with local access to the system, including attackers leveraging memory-dumping tools or insiders with elevated privileges. View CVE Details Affected Products Johnson Controls Simplex Incident Manager Vendor: Johnson Controls Inc. Product Version: Johnson Controls Simplex Incident Manager: <=V2.01 Product Status: known_affected Remediations Mitigation Johnson Controls has released a patched version (v2.01.01) to address this vulnerability. To help reduce the risk of exploitation, Johnson Controls suggests considering the following defensive measures: Upgrade the Simplex Incident Manager to version v1.01.05 or later. Restrict local access to systems running the Simplex Incident Manager to authorized personnel only. Implement endpoint protection and monitoring to detect memory-dumping tools or suspicious processes. Enforce strong access control policies and the principle of least privilege on host systems. Utilize full-disk encryption and secure boot to reduce the risk of offline memory analysis. Monitor for unauthorized local access attempts and implement audit logging. Mitigation For more detailed mitigation instructions, please see Johnson Controls Product Security Advisory JCI-PSA-2026-28. https://www.johnsoncontrols.com/trust-center/cybersecurity/security-advisories Mitigation Aligning with CISA recommendations, Johnson Controls recommends taking steps to minimize risks to all building automation systems. Relevant CWE: CWE-316 Cleartext Storage of Sensitive Information in Memory Metrics CVSS Version Base Score Base Severity Vector String 3.1 5.8 MEDIUM CVSS:3.1/AV:L/AC:H/PR:L/UI:N/S:U/C:H/I:L/A:L 4.0 5.8 MEDIUM CVSS:4.0/AV:L/AC:H/AT:P/PR:L/UI:N/VC:H/VI:L/VA:L/SC:N/SI:N/SA:N Acknowledgments Johnson Controls reported this vulnerability 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 this vulnerability. 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 vulnerability has been reported to CISA at this time. This vulnerability is not exploitable remotely. This vulnerability has a high attack complexity. Revision History Initial Release Date: 2026-08-20 Date Revision Summary 2026-08-20 1 Initial Republication of Johnson Controls Product Security Advisory JCI-PSA-2026-28 Legal Notice and Terms of Use

Impact

Johnson Controls Simplex Incident Manager (versions <=V2.01), Johnson Controls Inc.

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

Newly disclosed

Remediation

Upgrade the Simplex Incident Manager to version v2.01.01 or later. Restrict local access to systems running the Simplex Incident Manager to authorized personnel only. Implement endpoint protection and monitoring to detect memory-dumping tools or suspicious processes. Enforce strong access control policies and the principle of least privilege on host systems. Utilize full-disk encryption and secure boot to reduce the risk of offline memory analysis. Monitor for unauthorized local access attempts and implement audit logging.

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, Vulnerability, and 1 more.

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