Why cybersecurity is important in the construction industry

A recent report by IBM Ponemon found that 74% of organisations are not prepared for cyber attacks and do not have a response plan in place to protect them. This significantly increases the risk of falling victim to cybercriminals and potentially losing important information and data. The construction industry is the third highest-suffering industry from ransomware attacks, according to a list published by Safety Detective. How, then, can construction companies increase their cybersecurity awareness and ensure they are better prepared in the event of an attack? 

What can construction companies do to protect themselves from cybercriminal activity?

Of course, while there’s no guarantee of completely preventing a cyber attack, there are a few steps that organisations can take to ensure they are as safe as possible. The first thing is to invest in cyber insurance, which will cover you if the worst does happen. It is also relatively inexpensive and can be paid in monthly installments. 

Another way to minimise the risk of a cyber attack is to improve awareness and understand what to look out for. For example, if an email or a link doesn’t look genuine, it most likely isn’t and so it should be avoided. If anything does look awry, you can send it to your organisation’s IT department to be investigated further. 

It’s also important to undergo continuous training with members of staff. Ensuring that employees are trained in detecting suspicious cyber activity will significantly reduce the chances of an attack being successful. In addition, try to use passphrases rather than passwords as the latter is one of the easiest ways for hackers to access an employee’s personal information. Using a phrase instead of a word is much harder to crack, and ultimately keeps data secure. To create a good, safe passphrase, use a minimum of four words with spaces after each one. To increase its complexity, you can then add characters, symbols, and case-sensitive words. Doing this will dramatically reduce the chances of an attack and stump any cybercriminal looking to gain access to your information. 

Speed is paramount in an attack situation. The faster you react, the greater the chances of being able to minimise its impact. Overall, it’s important to have a plan of action in place so that your organisation is ready to fight an attack. But, with the right protocols and training, hopefully, you’ll never need to.