Construction Law

Cybersecurity and the Construction Industry Part 1 featured image

Cybersecurity and the Construction Industry Part 1

In recent years, our attention has shifted to the threat of cyber attacks. With good reason, high profile incidents like ones involving Target and Sony has many companies taking measures to protect their data from security breaches. It would be nice to believe that the construction industry, a traditionally non-tech based industry, would be shielded from cyber threats. Of course, that’s not true. While the construction industry does not have the IT infrastructure of other industries, it’s no less of a target.

Why is the Construction Industry Primed for Security Threats?

First and foremost, the construction industry is lucrative. With new construction projects being established daily, there’s plenty of money to go around. This money naturally makes the industry a target for cyber criminals. Secondly, the construction industry provides access to valuable data through several access points. Virtual construction programs such as BIM can be accessed remotely, giving cyber criminals access to building design information. There are also a growing number of construction personnel using company-assigned mobile devices, which poses numerous security threats. Additionally, many construction companies, especially smaller ones, aren’t focusing on cyber threats. The lack of focus makes these companies potential targets.

What are Hackers Looking For?

The construction industry has several significant forms of information that hackers are looking to get their hands on. Cyber criminals can gain access to intellectual property, company financial information, including banking information, building designs, and employee information. The latter is particularly dangerous for your employees because hackers can gain access to their social security numbers and banking accounts. What’s worse? If you have been the victim of a cyber attack once and you don’t put the measures in place to prevent it from happening again, you may be liable the next time an attack occurs. While there are Tallahassee construction law attorneys that can help you in this matter, you never want it to come to that.

How Do Cyber Criminals Access Your Network?

The most common method for hacking your network is via a phishing scheme. Cyber criminals will send emails to your employees that appear to be from a trustworthy source. The idea is for the employee to click on a link in the email. Once that’s done, they hacker either has access to your system or in a couple more steps (user gives personal information) will have access to your system and data.

In part two of this series, we will discuss how companies can prepare for and deal with cyber attacks.

To request a consultation with a Tallahassee construction law attorney, please call us today at 850.213.1295 or submit our contact request form.

Disclaimer: The information contained in this article is for general educational information only. This information does not constitute legal advice, is not intended to constitute legal advice, nor should it be relied upon as legal advice for your specific factual pattern or situation.