Summary
The rising incidence of violent crime, organized retail crime, civil unrest, cyber-attacks, artificial intelligence (AI), and the renewed threat of terrorism have prompted increased vigilance, information sharing, and legislative efforts to improve our nation’s resilience. The proliferation of these threats has raised concerns in the commercial facilities sector about how to protect commercial properties and the people who occupy them from such threats.
In addition to the challenges posed by these threats, the Russian invasion of Ukraine, conflict in the Middle East, and rising tensions in Asia have raised security concerns about the increased incidence of cyber-attacks from the Russian Federation, the People’s Republic of China (PRC), Iran, North Korea, and other state actors.
The real estate industry, in partnership with policymakers and law enforcement officials, must remain vigilant to potential threats to our critical infrastructure from cyber or physical threats.
Key Takeaways
Recent high-profile hacking attacks have brought to the fore the necessity of fortifying the nation’s IT infrastructure against cyber-attacks. Additionally, there are growing concerns about AI having the potential to create new risks. Key concerns include the risk of cyberattacks exploiting AI vulnerabilities, leading to unauthorized access to facilities or sensitive data.
RER continues to promote security measures against both physical and cyber threats by facilitating increased information sharing and cooperation among its membership with key law enforcement and intelligence agencies, including as part of RER’s Homeland Security Task Force and Real Estate Information Sharing and Analysis Center (RE-ISAC).
Policymakers should avoid imposing duplicative and inconsistent regulations that create additional challenges for those tasked with defending the nation’s critical infrastructure, including the commercial facilities (CF) sector, and undermine cyber preparedness.
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Strengthen Preparedness and Info Sharing: Policymakers and law enforcement agencies must advance efforts to counter potential physical and cyber threats, especially to critical infrastructure. The real estate industry remains an important partner in these efforts.
National Cybersecurity Strategy