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 | Jan 29, 2020
Frank Lloyd Wright’s architecture school is closing
The school was established in 1932.
Libraries | Jan 23, 2020
Information or community center: The next generation of libraries must be both
Are libraries still relevant in a digital world?
Green | Jan 10, 2020
How the new EC3 tool raises the bar on collective action
Nearly 50 AEC industry organizations partnered to develop the groundbreaking Embodied Carbon in Construction Calculator.
Architects | Jan 9, 2020
AIA selects recipients for the 2020 Regional & Urban Design Awards
The 2020 Regional & Urban Design program recognizes the best in urban design, regional and city planning and community development.
Building Technology | Jan 7, 2020
Tariff whiplash for bifacial solar modules
Bifacial solar systems offer many advantages over traditional systems.
Sponsored | HVAC | Jan 6, 2020
Maximize Energy Efficiency in Class A Office Buildings With Modern Building Systems
Energy-efficient building design starts with the building envelope, but the building systems have a tremendous impact on energy use as well.
Life of an Architect Podcast | Jan 6, 2020
5 most popular Life of an Architect podcast episodes of 2019
Architects Bob Borson, FAIA, and Andrew Hawkins, AIA, LEED AP, produced 25 episodes of the Life of an Architect podcast in 2019. Here are the five most popular episodes of Life of an Architect based on the number of downloads.
Architects | Jan 6, 2020
Merger expands HED’s presence in SoCal
Puchlik Design Associates, its new addition, specializes in healthcare design.
Steel Buildings | Jan 3, 2020
5 reasons to enter the $20,000 Forge Prize
Calling all emerging architects. Don’t miss out on your chance to enter the $20,000 Forge Prize. Submissions for Stage 1 judging are due January 15.
GIANTS 19 PREMIUM | Dec 23, 2019
Top 90 Sports Facilities Architecture Firms for 2019
Populous, HKS, HOK, Gensler, and HNTB top the rankings of the nation's largest sports facilities sector architecture and architecture engineering (AE) firms, as reported in Building Design+Construction's 2019 Giants 300 Report.
