Why Smart Building Cybersecurity Is Becoming a Bigger Infrastructure Risk

Smart buildings save energy and run more smoothly, but they connect operating systems that were never designed with modern attacks in mind. As access control, HVAC, energy management and cameras are tied together on one network, the security of the building comes to depend on all of them.

That makes smart building security an infrastructure problem, not a niche IT issue. It affects safety, uptime and tenants. Facility managers need to know what is on the network, separate building systems from the rest, keep vendors in check and plan for incidents.

Building systems are now targets

Attacks on building automation are no longer hypothetical. Criminals see these systems as valuable because buildings can’t run without them. They are also complex, tying together heating, cooling, lighting and physical security on networks that were often installed by a contractor years ago and never reviewed since. Each connection adds another way in.

Locking down building networks

Smart buildings need strong security controls from day one. Real-time monitoring and encryption help. Siemens recommends layered defenses, including secure remote access and tight control over user permissions.

Vendors setting the pace

Siemens is among the companies building security into building automation. Its frameworks aim to monitor every system continuously and protect against both outside attackers and insider risks, and other vendors are following a similar approach.

Owners, staff and vendors share the work

Securing a smart building isn’t only the vendor’s job. Building managers, security staff and technology providers have to work together. Patch schedules are a good place to start.

What building owners should do now

Each new system added to a building widens the attack surface. Owners should inventory what is connected, cut off remote access that isn’t needed, and put building systems on their own network segment. With those basics and good vendor partners, smart buildings can be both efficient and safe.

Treating buildings as infrastructure

Secure smart buildings take steady investment and planning. Owners who treat building systems as part of their security program, rather than something facilities handles alone, will be better prepared when an attack comes.

Frank Jones, CISSP

Frank Jones has loved computers from the age of 13. Frank got his hacking career started when he downloaded a war dialing program that he used to detect dial up modems in his hometown of Chicago. Frank Jones now works as a JAVA coder and cyber security researcher.