Dive Brief:
- Skender Construction, a Chicago-based general contractor that works across sectors like healthcare, multifamily, education and retail, was the victim of a ransomware attack that affected 1,067 people, the company revealed in an April 5 filing with the Maine Attorney General’s office.
- The firm discovered the attack on March 15, according to a letter from Jerry Ball, Skender’s chief operating officer, that will be sent to affected individuals. Skender believes that the attacker only pursued money, and not information on its systems.
- However, based on an investigation, the contractor believes that identifiable information of individuals in its system may have been accessed. This could include names, addresses, dates of birth and Social Security numbers, along with direct deposit, driver’s license, passport and potentially health information, if provided to the company.
Dive Insight:
Upon discovering the breach, the contractor engaged experts who were able to help the builder’s information technology team restore its systems from backup. Because of its preparation and investment in its IT infrastructure, Skender said in the letter, it didn’t have to pay the attackers to get back to business.
For those affected, the builder will provide the services of risk mitigation firm Kroll for identity monitoring for one year.
The notice of the attack filed with the state of Maine doesn’t specify whether the firm’s customers were impacted. Neither Skender Construction, nor an attorney representing the company, responded to requests for comment. Skender’s projects page highlights its work for LinkedIn, Google, Salesforce, Indiana University’s Health Bloomington Hospital and Northwestern Memorial Hospital, among other clients.
Construction-affiliated firms continue to be targets for cybercriminals — in September, Raleigh, North Carolina-based commercial construction underwriter Builders Mutual Insurance Co. revealed that it was the target of a hack that affected the personal information of 64,761 customers.
On the supply side, Pleasanton, California-based Simpson Manufacturing Co., the owner of construction fasteners supplier Simpson Strong-Tie, experienced a cyberattack in October that caused the company to take defensive actions and shut down some systems.
