Ronnie Kurlander and Rick Arthur were interviewed for an article, Could Cyberattacks Shut Down Your Business?, published by Building Washington. The article discusses cyber risks for contractors, favorite targets of cybercriminals because they often do not make investments in technology and cybersecurity like other industries, according to the article.
“Some general contractors are now trying to reduce the threats to their networks by contractual means. ‘We are seeing many general contractors (GCs), especially on the infrastructure and public side, put very specific cybersecurity-related compliance into their contracts,’ said Ronnie Kurlander, head of construction and real estate practice at Hartman Executive Advisors. ‘They are requiring subcontractors to use certain controls or to align with best practices like those from the National Institute of Standards and Technology (NIST).’ He added that too many subcontractors are simply signing contracts without understanding the cybersecurity requirements and obligations they place on their business.”
“Every contractor needs a plan for dealing with a cyberattack if it gets hit. ‘One way that we work with our clients is to establish a security incident response team. Based on data that we have seen from 2021, organizations that have an incident response plan, in place and tested, experienced a 75 percent less cost of recovery, on average, than firms that did not have a tested plan in place,’ said Rick Arthur, chief information security officer at Hartman Executive Advisors.”
Article Copyright ABC of Metro Washington https://www.abcmetrowashington.org/News/Publications/Building-Washington-Magazine