Building systems have become a lucrative target for cyber attackers, with smart building automation systems increasingly falling prey to cyber threats. A recent study by Kaspersky revealed that 38% of smart buildings experienced at least one cyberattack on their building automation systems over the past year. This statistic underscores a growing concern for commercial real estate operators and highlights the urgent need to adopt robust security standards akin to those employed in federal buildings.
What Happened
As building automation systems become more integrated with enterprise networks and cloud platforms, they have become more vulnerable to cyberattacks. Claroty’s Team82 research unit found that 75% of organizations using building management systems had devices affected by known vulnerabilities. These are not just data breaches; they have tangible physical effects. For instance, in October 2021, a cyberattack in Germany disabled lighting and motion detectors, forcing manual operations for weeks. Similar attacks have affected hospitals and hotels, disrupting essential services and compromising guest data.
The commercial real estate industry is now grappling with these vulnerabilities. Historically, there was a misconception that on-premise servers were secure simply by being physically close. However, Etrit Demaj, Co-Founder of KODE Labs, emphasizes that true security involves continuous patching, encryption, and monitoring—tasks better suited to managed cloud platforms than isolated on-prem servers.
What This Means for Your Business
For AECM professionals, this shift represents both a challenge and an opportunity. Adopting federal-level security standards, like those outlined by the Federal Risk and Authorization Management Program (FedRAMP), can significantly mitigate risks. FedRAMP provides a tiered framework for cloud services based on the potential damage of a breach, with most federal services requiring rigorous protections.
Implementing such standards can enhance compliance with frameworks like CMMC and NIST, which are increasingly crucial for securing government contracts. Additionally, moving to cloud-based solutions can improve ROI through better security and operational efficiency, reducing the need for costly manual interventions when systems are compromised.
What US Operators Should Watch
US operators should closely monitor developments in building system security protocols and federal compliance requirements. As cyber threats evolve, staying ahead of regulatory changes and adopting best practices from federal standards will be crucial. Operators should also keep an eye on procurement windows for cloud-based security solutions and be prepared for potential CMMC audit dates.
Source: https://propmodo.com/the-security-standard-real-estate-should-be-borrowing-from-federal-buildings/
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