DHS probes potential impact from Johnson Controls ransomware attack

CNN reports that a potential compromise of the Department of Homeland Security's sensitive physical security details is being looked into by the department's senior officials following a ransomware attack against contractor and major building automation systems manufacturer Johnson Controls International. "Until further notice, we should assume that [the contractor] stores DHS floor plans and security information tied to contracts on their servers," said the DHS in an internal memo, which also emphasized the importance of immediately identifying potentially impacted DHS offices amid a looming government shutdown. In a filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission, Johnson Controls disclosed that while some of its operations will continue to be impacted by the attack against its internal IT systems last week, it has already sought third-party cybersecurity experts to facilitate recovery efforts. However, no further information regarding DHS data stored by the conglomerate that may have been compromised was provided by Johnson Controls spokesperson Trent Perrotto.