Understanding the Significance of Cybersecurity in the Construction Industry: Survey Findings

Abstract

Analogous to Industry 4.0, we have the advent of Construction 4.0, a transformative process wherein digital technology and digitalization affect every phase of the life cycle of construction projects, from the design and contracting phase to the construction, operation, maintenance, upgrade, and decommissioning ones. The progress of digitalization has been uneven, as has been the recognition of the new security environment in which the architecture, engineering, construction, and operation (AECO) industry operates. Hackers for profit, disloyal competitors, disgruntled insiders, or even state agents employing hybrid warfare all utilize cyber means to achieve goals that can disrupt processes, corrupt information, interrupt operations, and cause significant material damage or even loss of human life. Starting from recognizing the paucity of studies in this field, this paper analyzes the results from a survey on cybersecurity awareness in the AECO industry. The analyses employed statistical methods such as t-test, Spearman's rank correlation test, and ANOVA to test the hypotheses formulated to answer the research questions of the study. The resulting data are commented upon and placed in the context of an evolving industry confronted with the shock of the new security environment, while also moving forward on Construction 4.0 as a creator of added value, new efficiencies, and new capabilities.

Public governance in the context of Construction 4.0: a systematic and comprehensive literature review

“…Construction 4.0 involves the widespread use of digital technologies, connectivity and data-driven processes, which generate vast amounts of data. Protecting this data from unauthorized access and breaches and ensuring privacy is a critical concern that requires government intervention (De Soto et al, 2022b). One of the critical roles of government and other public bodies is to establish and enforce robust regulations and standards for data security and privacy (Bolhassan et al, 2022).…”

“…Construction 4.0 involves the widespread use of digital technologies, connectivity and data-driven processes, which generate vast amounts of data. Protecting this data from unauthorized access and breaches and ensuring privacy is a critical concern that requires government intervention (De Soto et al. , 2022b).…”

Identifying Emerging Technologies and Skills Required for Construction 4.0

“…The top five most cited technologies and processes are BIM, cyber-physical systems, Internet of Things (IoT), automation, and robotics/industrial robots. Additionally, the five technologies and processes with the most publications and specific studies are BIM [43,44,[95][96][97][98][99][100][101][102][103][104][105][106][107][108], digital twins [21,92,[109][110][111][112][113][114], automation [19,20,76,[115][116][117][118], robotics [118][119][120][121][122][123][124], cybersecurity [41,42,[125][126][127][128], and Internet of Things (IoT) [75,[129][130]…”

“…Artificial intelligence (AI) technology has been used to mine data, transforming it into information to make decisions [33] and the Internet of Things (IoT) allows the systematic sharing of data and information. For data security and online contractual or financial transactions, the construction industry has adopted blockchain [39,40] and cybersecurity [41,42].…”

“…Automation processes in construction manufacturing [19,20] have been identified as a key point in transforming the construction industry towards Construction 4.0. Furthermore, the Internet of Things (IoT) and cyber-physical systems [21][22][23][24][25], virtual reality (VR) and augmented reality (AR) [26][27][28][29][30][31][32], artificial intelligence (AI), deep learning, and machine learning [33][34][35][36], and blockchain and cybersecurity [37][38][39][40][41][42] are some technologies originating from Industry 4.0 that have been mentioned in research on the construction industry in the context of Construction 4.0. Building Information Modeling (BIM) is the main process pointed out by the industry and the academy that allows digital integration planning, construction, and operation of buildings and infrastructure [43,44].…”