Industries We Serve
Wire transfer fraud targeting real estate closings and construction payment workflows, distributed project site infrastructure, and subcontractor access to project systems create a risk environment that standard IT support doesn't address.
The Risk Landscape
Construction and real estate organizations combine the characteristics that make BEC fraud most effective: high-value transactions that require time-sensitive wire transfers, email-centric approval workflows involving multiple parties, and the complexity of coordinating payments across owners, lenders, title companies, general contractors, and subcontractors. Attackers spend weeks monitoring email chains before substituting fraudulent wire instructions at exactly the right moment.
Beyond BEC, the distributed nature of construction operations creates IT infrastructure that spans office environments, project trailers, and field devices — connected through combinations of cellular, ISP-provisioned, and contractor-managed networks. Most construction organizations have never inventoried this infrastructure or assessed the access pathways it creates into core business systems.
in BEC losses reported to the FBI in 2023 — real estate and construction are among the most targeted sectors due to the combination of high transaction values and email-based payment workflows with multiple parties. FBI IC3 Annual Report 2023
of data breaches involve stolen or compromised credentials — the primary attack vector for BEC fraud, which relies on email account access rather than malware to intercept and manipulate payment communications. Verizon DBIR 2024
Project-critical systems — Procore, Autodesk, Sage, Vista — hold financial data, design IP, and owner information across multiple active projects. Ransomware targeting these platforms creates operational disruption that extends beyond IT recovery into project delivery.
Sector-Specific Challenges
BEC attacks against construction and real estate organizations specifically target wire transfer instructions embedded in project payment workflows, subcontractor disbursements, and real estate closings. Attackers intercept email chains involving title companies, lenders, and project owners — then substitute fraudulent wire instructions. The transactions are large, time-sensitive, and difficult to reverse once executed.
Talk to DOYB about thisConstruction projects involve temporary networks, on-site trailers with internet connectivity, and field devices — all managed by different subcontractors with varying security practices. This distributed infrastructure creates an attack surface that spans multiple physical locations, none of which are under centralized IT governance, and each of which connects back to project management and accounting systems.
Talk to DOYB about thisGeneral contractors and project owners share project data — plans, specifications, schedules, financial documentation — with dozens of subcontractors and suppliers across every project. Each of those third parties represents a potential access pathway to project systems and data. A subcontractor compromise can expose project data, payment systems, and owner information through the shared access granted for legitimate project coordination.
Talk to DOYB about thisConstruction and real estate organizations hold project drawings, specifications, bid packages, and owner financials that represent significant competitive and contractual value. Ransomware operators increasingly exfiltrate sensitive project data before encrypting systems — using the threat of releasing confidential owner information or proprietary design data as additional leverage.
Talk to DOYB about thisAI in Construction & Real Estate
AI adoption in construction and real estate — project scheduling automation, document review, bid analysis, property valuation modeling — introduces AI systems that access project data, financial documentation, and proprietary processes. The same email and document workflows that make construction organizations vulnerable to BEC fraud also create risks when AI tools are integrated without security governance.
AI-generated communications in real estate transactions — automated email summaries, AI-drafted payment notices — introduce new vectors for impersonation and fraud if AI system access isn't carefully controlled. The risk isn't just that AI tools process sensitive data; it's that AI-generated content in payment workflows can be harder for recipients to distinguish from legitimate instructions.
AI governance should be part of your fraud prevention strategy
Construction and real estate organizations adopting AI tools benefit from an AI Readiness assessment that evaluates AI governance alongside existing BEC prevention controls — ensuring AI adoption doesn't introduce new vulnerabilities into transaction workflows.
Relevant Services
Managed detection and response that addresses BEC prevention, email security, and the distributed infrastructure of construction organizations — including project site networks and subcontractor access management.
Learn moreIT management for construction and real estate firms that spans office, project site, and remote field environments — with the asset visibility and access controls that distributed operations require.
Learn moreRecovery capability for project-critical systems — protecting the project management platforms, accounting systems, and document repositories that construction operations depend on.
Learn moreRecommended for Construction & Real Estate
The Ascend Infrastructure assessment is structured around the compliance, operational, and security challenges specific to your sector — not a generic checklist. You leave with a documented risk picture and a prioritized roadmap built for where you actually operate.
