Cybersecurity in the Built Environment

My most recent research has focused on cybersecurity in the built environment. As we increasingly create a “smart” built environment, we heighten our security risk and provide opportunities for cybersecurity threats to prosper. There are many challenges to improving cybersecurity in the built environment. However, some of the most difficult challenges to solve are organizational and cultural challenges. This requires that research on smart buildings and cybersecurity focus organizational and cultural solutions as well as technical and policy solutions.

Our Cyber-BE and CTOP lab have recently completed research investigating current cultural and organizational cybersecurity challenges. The works below provide insights and recommendations to help building owners improve their smart building cybersecurity.

Selected Works

Cybersecurity Challenges

Osburn, Laura, Jessica Beyer, Carrie Sturts Dossick, and Chuck Benson. Internet Of Things and Cybersecurity Risk: Core Issues for The Building Industry. Seattle, WA: University of Washington, February 2021.

BIM and Cybersecurity

Osburn, Laura. BIM Cybersecurity: Vulnerabilities and Mitigating Risk. Memo created for the Port of Seattle, 2019.

Smart buildings and data privacy

Beyer, Jessica, Laura Osburn, Caitlin Quirk, Sarah Jacob, Emma Lii, Madison Snider, and Carrie Sturts Dossick. IoT Data Privacy: Managing and Anticipating Data Privacy in the Built Environment. Seattle, WA: University of Washington, 2023.

Improving IoT Cybersecurity

Osburn, Laura, Madison Snider, Carrie Sturts Dossick, and Chuck Benson. IoT Cybersecurity in the Built Environment: Improving Facilities and IT Collaboration to Keep Our Buildings Smart and Secure. Seattle, WA: University of Washington, 2023.

Beyer, Jessica, Laura Osburn, Chuck Benson, and Carrie Sturts Dossick, and Madison Snider. IoT Policy Landscape: Implications for Managing Security in The Built Environment. Seattle, WA: University of Washington, February 2021.

Osburn, Laura, Chuck Benson. How to Plan Cybersecurity for Smart Buildings. Facilitiesnet, May 2, 2023.