Improved building system technology is making today’s smart buildings safer, more energy efficient, and more attractive to tenants. But ESD, now Stantec Studio Leader and Senior Security Consultant Coleman Wolf says building automated system (BAS) improvements could come with new vulnerabilities. (Read more about intelligent building security.)
How vulnerable are commercial and institutional real estate buildings to cyberattacks?
For many building owners and operators, ESD Studio Leader for Security Systems Coleman Wolf says the answer may keep them up at night. Wolf also offered some advice during a recent video podcast with Building Design+Construction Editorial Director David Barista.
According to Wolf, hackers are getting more creative gaining access to sensitive information through unlikely avenues. For example, personal information about high-rollers of an unnamed casino was breached when cyber criminals connected to computers through an internet-connected thermostat control for the facility’s aquarium.
Wolf advises building owners to conduct regular screenings for cybersecurity vulnerabilities. He says it is also important to make sure information technology (IT) and operational technology (OT) professionals have open and clear lines of communication to better protect companies from financial and reputational damage.
You can view the entire episode of “The Biggest Cybersecurity Threats in Commercial Real Estate, and How to Mitigate Them” here.
Coleman Wolf shares his knowledge from over 25 years of security management and security engineering experience to promote ESD’s mission to improve society through the built environment.
Contact ESD’s experts for more information on how ESD can help with building automation and cybersecurity.
