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
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.
Affected Products
Johnson Controls Simplex Incident Manager
Johnson Controls Inc.
Johnson Controls Simplex Incident Manager: <=V2.01
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
This product is provided subject to this Notification and this Privacy & Use policy.
Vendor
- Johnson Controls