With fears growing that Russia might launch a cyber-attack on Western European targets and, in any case, the number of criminal cases of cyber attacks growing, the National Cyber Security Centre (NCSC) has partnered the Chartered Institute of Building (CIOB) to produce a guide for smaller construction companies on how to protect themselves from cyber attacks.
The guide is called Cyber Security for Construction Businesses. It can be downloaded from the NCSC website here, or you can download the PDF directly by clicking on the icon at the end of this report.
A lot of companies in construction, including stone companies, have had their computers frozen by cyber attacks. The attackers normally demand untraceable Bitcoins to unblock computers, although paying does not always get your computers back. Instead it simply leads to further demands for more Bitcoins. So back up your data, so you don’t have to pay.
Some high profile cyber attacks against the construction industry illustrate how businesses of all sizes are being targeted. Small businesses are often chosen because their computers can be less secure than those of larger companies.
As the industry continues to embrace and adopt more digital ways of working, it is more important than ever to understand how you might be vulnerable to cyber attacks and what you can do to protect yourself.
This guidance is aimed at small-to-medium sized businesses working in the construction industry and the wider supply chain (including the manufacture of building products, surveying, and the sale of buildings).
By implementing the steps described in Cyber Security for Construction Businesses you will be protected from the most common forms of cyber attack. And if you are attacked, you should be able to recover quickly.
If everyone follows the advice in Cyber Security for Construction Businesses the attacks from criminals could be ended because nobody will pay and criminals will no longer find the attacks lucrative.
The National Cyber Security Centre was created by the British spymasters of GCHQ. NCSC also has a Small Business Guide offering further affordable, practical advice on how to stay secure online. Larger organisations can find more guidance in the NCSC publication 10 Steps to Cyber Security.