A whitepaper co-developed by cyber security company Waterstons and sustainability consultants Cundall assesses the threat of cyber attacks on Australia’s built environment, titled How Safe is Your Building?

The whitepaper seeks to unpack the threat landscape and red-flag vulnerabilities that may not have been considered, while explaining best practice strategies for protecting people, properties and business operations. Cyber security is regarded as a major part of the contemporary retrofitting process, given its now ever-present threat.

An investigation overseen by Waterston’s Head of Cyber Security Ryan O’Kell found 5,956 Australian buildings’ management systems open to the wider internet. A misconfiguration or missing vendor security patch can result in a building being manipulated by anyone with an internet connection worldwide.

Waterstons Managing Director Charlie Hales says the risks of cyber security can no longer be ignored.

“This issue isn’t going away and with our research in this paper, we can almost see that the AEC industry and these buildings will be the next big target. We’ve already seen it happen,” she says. 

The paper brings to life and to light not only the downfalls of Cyber Security in the industry, but it highlights the importance and vital role boards play, the vital role humans play and the next steps to secure the industry.” 

Cundall Partner Julian Sutherland says he has witnessed the environmental benefits of building controls, automation, AI and cloud-hosted building performance analytics.

“Our global team works with clients who recognise the importance of smart building technologies as the enabling architecture for improving existing buildings and progressing towards an all-electric, net zero built environment,” he says.

“But we also know that getting cyber security settings right is essential to ensure business processes and asset performance are always protected.”

A live panel event featuring panellists from both Waterstons and Cundall will discuss the whitepaper on Thursday 27 April at Procore, Level 12 Substation House, 183-185 Clarence Street, Sydney at 4pm. A Q&A session is also scheduled between panellists and the audience.

To read the whitepaper, click here.