Design and construction industry firms underestimate their vulnerability to cyberattacks, according to a new report, Data Resilience in Design and Construction: How Digital Discipline Builds Stronger Firms by Dodge Construction Network and content security and management company Egnyte.
Fifty-nine percent of firms responding to a survey experienced a cybersecurity threat within the last two years. General contractors were hit most frequently, with 70% experiencing a threat and 30% suffering a ransomware attack since 2021.
Successful attacks can be dire, with 77% of firms saying they would experience critical schedule delays if access to documentation is blocked for more than five days. Ransomware attacks often take a lot longer to resolve than just a few days, though.
The average duration of a successful ransomware attack in the U.S. ranged from 15 days to 26 days between the first quarter of 2020 and the second quarter of 2022, according to Statista, a company that operates a global data and business intelligence platform.
The study also says that the industry needs improvement on data resilience, which it defines as “the ability to access all project and business documents and data to support work at any time, from anywhere, and on any device.” Just 39% of AEC firms’ data networks meet that standard at least 90% of the time, “meaning most of the industry struggles with this issue.”
Related Stories
Architects | Nov 23, 2021
HMC names new Director of Design
James Krueger will oversee design and lead strategies to improve the impact of HMC’s work.
Giants 400 | Nov 20, 2021
2021 Parking Structure Giants: Top architecture, engineering, and construction firms in the U.S. parking structure sector
PGAL, PCL Construction, and Wiss, Janney, Elstner Associates top BD+C's rankings of the nation's largest parking structure sector architecture, engineering, and construction firms, as reported in the 2021 Giants 400 Report.
Giants 400 | Nov 20, 2021
Top 100 Design-Build Construction Firms for 2021
Clayco, Hensel Phelps, ARCO Construction Companies, Swinerton, and Ryan Companies US top the rankings of the nation's largest design-build construction firms for buildings construction work, according to BD+C's 2021 Giants 400 Report.
Giants 400 | Nov 19, 2021
2021 Cultural Facilities Giants: Top architecture, engineering, and construction firms in the U.S. cultural facilities sector
Gensler, AECOM, Buro Happold, and Arup top BD+C's rankings of the nation's largest cultural facilities sector architecture, engineering, and construction firms, as reported in the 2021 Giants 400 Report.
Giants 400 | Nov 19, 2021
2021 Convention Center Sector Giants: Top architecture, engineering, and construction firms in the U.S. convention and conference facilities sector
Populous, KPFF, Lendlease, and Turner Construction top BD+C's rankings of the nation's largest convention and conference facilities architecture, engineering, and construction firms, as reported in the 2021 Giants 400 Report.
Giants 400 | Nov 18, 2021
2021 Multifamily Sector Giants: Top architecture, engineering, and construction firms in the U.S. multifamily building sector
Clark Group, Humphreys and Partners, and Kimley-Horn head BD+C's rankings of the nation's largest multifamily building sector architecture, engineering, and construction firms, as reported in the 2021 Giants 400 Report.
Laboratories | Nov 18, 2021
Tapping into the life sciences building boom
Paul Ferro of Form4 Architecture discusses how developers are pivoting to the life sciences sector, and what that means for construction and adaptive reuse.
2021 Building Team Awards | Nov 17, 2021
Caltech's new neuroscience building unites scientists, engineers to master the human brain
The Tianqiao and Chrissy Chen Institute for Neuroscience at the California Institute of Technology in Pasadena wins a Gold Award in BD+C's 2021 Building Team Awards.
K-12 Schools | Nov 10, 2021
K-12 school design innovation: 'Learning Everywhere' and the mobile classroom
Last September, AIA San Francisco awarded the Professional Category in its 2021 Future Classroom Competition to a five-person team from Culver City, Calif.-based Berliner Architects. The firm was selected for its “Learning Everywhere” idea that features a mobile strategy for education at school, home, on field trips, and in transit. BD+C's John Caulfield discuss that concept with Richard Berliner, AIA, Principal, Berliner Architects.
Architects | Nov 9, 2021
Download BD+C’s 2021 Design Innovation Report
AEC and development firms share where new ideas come from, and what makes them click.
