Construction Cyberattacks: Protect Your Firm

You know what I hear from local builders, project managers, and general contractors, week in and week out? “We’re too small, why would hackers come after us?” But in 2025, it’s not the biggest companies making headlines for ransomware. It’s the 25 person electrical contractor, the 30 crew general builder, the hands on folks running payroll and job estimates out of the same server as their blueprints.

Let’s talk about a real incident. One that hit not far from home. With construction cyberattacks doubling from 2023 to 2024 and Western Pennsylvania among the hardest hit, it’s time every local contractor pays attention.

When the Blueprints Disappeared

Just this spring, a specialty concrete company outside Pittsburgh opened up for the week, only to find project schedules, design files, and estimating software locked. Screens flashed ransom notes: pay $150,000 in Bitcoin or see client contracts and employee info published online.

The attacker got in with a phishing email that looked like a routine supplier invoice, and clicked by a project coordinator in a rush. That was enough. By noon, most of the network was encrypted. Cloud backups? Gone. Attackers had disabled them before triggering the final lockout.

Six days offline. That meant delayed bids, angry project owners, and workers unable to access plans or field changes. The IT support vendor brought in a forensics crew and spent days fighting the malware, but in the end, the company negotiated a partial ransom to keep years of client files from leaking online.

This isn’t a rare case. Incidents like this doubled statewide over the last year, especially at smaller construction and trade businesses.

Why Are Small Contractors Getting Hit So Hard?

The construction industry is a perfect target right now:

• Work with dozens of vendors and sub contractors via email. More entry points for cyberattacks.
• Run projects on tight timelines. Every day of downtime means lost revenue.
• Most don’t have dedicated IT, let alone cybersecurity.

According to 2024 threat reports, 76% of construction sector cyberattacks begin with business email compromise. Often using fake invoice platforms or document-signing requests to trick even seasoned staff. Once inside, criminals can steal current bids, wage spreadsheets, W-9s, even blueprints before you know there’s anything wrong.

It only takes one click in a busy office to put every project at risk.

What Most Crews Rely On, And Why It Fails

Typical protection for a smaller contractor:

• “We back up to Dropbox/Google Drive.” If your admin login is breached, hackers can wipe or encrypt those backups, too.
• “We use antivirus.” Ransomware gangs build new variants to slip past basic security.
• “Our insurance covers us.” Carriers now demand proof of essential protections like multi-factor authentication and secure backups, or claims can be denied.

The headlines about larger government and county attacks in PA only scratch the surface—the real financial pain is at small businesses, who face $50,000–$350,000 per incident in ransom and recovery costs, not counting lost workdays.

6 Practical Defense Moves for Contractors

Construction businesses get targeted by all types of cyberattacks. But those who are prepared make it not worth a cybercriminal’s time. Here’s what I actually recommend for Pennsylvania construction firms. A layered defense that can prevent cyberattacks:

• Immutable, Tested Backups: Store copies of your critical project data in an immutable format. This means once a backup is created, it cannot be altered, overwritten, or deleted by anyone, including cyberattackers, ensuring your data is always recoverable. Crucially, test restores from those backups every month to prove they work when you need them most.
• Strong Identity Protection (Multi Factor Authentication – MFA): Require an app based second step (like a code from your phone) for anyone logging into your network, including remote workers and vendors. Eliminate “shared emails” and ensure every login is secure.
• Advanced Email Defense: Invest in email filtering solutions that use artificial intelligence to scan attachments, spot suspicious sender behavior, and block anything unusual. Run monthly “fake phishing” tests for your team and provide friendly feedback to strengthen their awareness.
• Secure Network Design: Only allow essential staff to access sensitive files or operational systems. Divide your network into separate zones, so, for example, your accounting systems can’t easily access project files or design systems. Remove administrative access from daily user accounts.
• 24/7 Security Monitoring with a Dedicated Team: Proactive defense requires constant vigilance. Implement systems that provide real time threat detection across your entire environment. This should be backed by a 24/7 security team making sure your business stays safe, immediately flagging and addressing any suspicious activity to keep your operations secure around the clock.
• Incident Response Plan: Know who to call, have a relationship with a local or regional incident response firm before you need them. Map out who leads if email and payroll are both locked and don’t wait for chaos to strike.

What Makes the Damage Worse?

In every Pennsylvania case this year, extended “dwell time” was the killer. Attacks that went undetected for days or even months meant hackers stole client designs, payroll data, or order lists before locking up machines. Once inside, they quickly disable or destroy on site and cloud backups, then threaten public exposure if you don’t pay up.

The Competitive Wake-Up Call

Here’s what I see: shops that invest in tested backups, ongoing staff training, and secure network design recover in days, not weeks. Firms that rely on old antivirus, infrequent backups, and gut instinct lose customers, spend huge on recovery, and risk closure.

With supply chains so tight, if you let a cyberattack stall you once, it’s a reason for longtime clients to find another supplier.

Your Next Step

Don’t leave digital risk to chance. This week:

• Verify your immutable backups: Ask your IT partner to demonstrate a restore, ensuring your data is truly unchangeable and recoverable.
• Run a phishing drill for your estimator and field lead, see how well they spot a fake invoice.
• Review your cyber insurance policy; if it requires MFA and incident response planning, get them set up.

Let’s book a 15-minute Cyber Strategy Call to build a simple, actionable plan you can trust when, not if, the next attack comes your way.

FAQ

Q: We’re just 10 people, are we really a target? Yes. Ransomware gangs go after the firms least likely to notice or recover. Size doesn’t matter. Access does.

Q: Can we skip paying for cyber insurance? Not if you want to survive a major hit, but read the fine print. Coverage gets denied without MFA and backup tests.

Q: How soon can hackers strike after an email click? Sometimes minutes. They disable security, wipe cloud logins, then trigger the ransom.

Q: Can I train non tech savvy crews to spot scams? Absolutely. Mobile friendly training and short, monthly phishing checks make a huge difference.

Q: Are cloud apps any safer than our old server? Only if you use MFA and backup off the cloud, too. Convenience doesn’t equal security.

Sources:

1. https://schneiderdowns.com/our-thoughts-on/ransomware-attack-hits-washington-county-pa/
2. https://www.techtarget.com/searchsecurity/feature/Publicly-disclosed-US-ransomware-attacks-in-2023
3. https://www.thehortongroup.com/resources/ransomware-attacks-in-construction/
4. https://tech.co/news/data-breaches-updated-list