Johnson Controls Hit By Ransomware

Building technology giant Johnson Controls has confirmed being hit by a disruptive cyberattack that appears to have been carried out by a ransomware group. 

An 8-K form filed by the company this week with the Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC) revealed that some of its internal IT infrastructure and applications were disrupted as a result of a cybersecurity incident. 

An investigation has been launched to determine what type of information may have been compromised. 

“To date, many of the Company’s applications are largely unaffected and remain operational. To the extent possible, and in line with its business continuity plans, the Company implemented workarounds for certain operations to mitigate disruptions and continue servicing its customers. However, the incident has caused, and is expected to continue to cause, disruption to parts of the Company’s business operations,” Johnson Controls said in the SEC filing.

The incident could force the company to delay the release of its fourth quarter and full fiscal year financial results.

Johnson Controls provides HVAC, automation, security, safety, smart home, retail, industrial refrigeration, and energy solutions and services. The company has more than 100,000 employees across 150 countries. 

Threat intelligence group VX-Underground reported that a ransomware group known as Dark Angels is behind the attack on Johnson Controls. The hackers claim to have stolen 27Tb of data from the company’s systems.

Researcher and VX-Underground member Gameel Ali has posted a screenshot of what appears to be the ransom note sent by the cybercriminals to the company.  

There is no mention of Johnson Controls on the ransomware group’s Tor-based leak website at the time of writing. 

The Dark Angels gang emerged in May 2022, using both data theft and file-encrypting malware to convince victims to pay a ransom. The hackers have attacked several major organizations in the United States over the past months.

The group has created its ransomware using leaked Babuk source code, which has been used by several threat actors to create their own malware. 

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