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
Giants 400 | Aug 26, 2021
2021 Data Center Giants: Top architecture, engineering, and construction firms in the U.S. data center facilities sector
Corgan, Holder Construction, Jacobs, and Whiting-Turner top BD+C's rankings of the nation's largest data center facilities sector architecture, engineering, and construction firms, as reported in the 2021 Giants 400 Report.
Hotel Facilities | Aug 26, 2021
Building hotels with modules, with citizenM's Menno Hilberts
In this exclusive interview for HorizonTV, Menno Hilberts, Managing Director of Project Management with hotelier citizenM, explains how the company is employing modular construction to help double its presence in the U.S.
Giants 400 | Aug 25, 2021
Top 40 Engineering/Architecture Firms for 2021
Jacobs, AECOM, Burns & McDonnell, and Alfa Tech top the rankings of the nation's largest engineering architecture (EA) firms for nonresidential buildings and multifamily buildings work, as reported in Building Design+Construction's 2021 Giants 400 Report.
Giants 400 | Aug 25, 2021
Top 95 Architecture/Engineering Firms for 2021
Stantec, HDR, HOK, and SOM top the rankings of the nation's largest architecture engineering (AE) firms for nonresidential and multifamily buildings work, as reported in Building Design+Construction's 2021 Giants 400 Report.
Giants 400 | Aug 25, 2021
Top 160 Architecture Firms for 2021
Gensler, Perkins and Will, HKS, and Perkins Eastman top the rankings of the nation's largest architecture firms for nonresidential and multifamily buildings work, as reported in Building Design+Construction's 2021 Giants 400 Report.
Sports and Recreational Facilities | Aug 25, 2021
The rise of entertainment districts and the inside-out stadium
Fiserv Forum, home to the 2021 NBA Champion Milwaukee Bucks, proved that the design of the space outside a stadium is just as important as inside.
Architects | Aug 24, 2021
AIA’s Compensation Report reveals how architecture firms weathered the pandemic
According to the report, architecture firms lost 16,000 positions between February and their low in July of 2020.
Architects | Aug 19, 2021
BD+C Events
Building Design+Construction's annual events include the Women in Design+Construction conference and the ProConnect meeting series.
Architects | Aug 19, 2021
Quattrocchi Kwok Architects marks 35 years in business with commitment to social justice
QKA, the largest architecture firm in the North Bay area of San Francisco, has received the JUST 2.0 Social Transparency Label from the International Living Future Institute.
Multifamily Housing | Aug 19, 2021
Multifamily emerges strong from the pandemic, with Yardi Matrix's Doug Ressler
Yardi Matrix's Doug Ressler discusses his firm's latest assessment of multifamily sales and rent growth for 2021.
