When disaster strikes—floods, fires or mold outbreaks—your clients trust you with access to their homes, businesses and most importantly, their personal data. From insurance claims and floorplans to signed contracts and photo documentation, restoration pros handle a surprising amount of sensitive information. 

But while most firms are focused on the physical damage, few stop to consider the digital risk. A single ransomware attack or stolen laptop could halt jobs mid-project, expose client data or trigger costly legal consequences. 

Cybersecurity isn’t just an IT issue—it’s a business survival issue. Losing this data could mean losing business, spoiling your reputation and even facing regulatory fines and legal action. Now is absolutely the time to start thinking about the safety measures you have in place.

Here’s what you need to know to protect your firm (and your clients) from today’s growing cyber threats.

Why Cybersecurity Matters in Restoration

The restoration industry handles an immense number of high-profile, high-intensity projects year on year. In fact, businesses in our sector invest more than $200 million annually purely in research and development alone. 

That alone makes businesses in our industry a prime target for cyberattacks – there’s huge potential for monetary gain from breaking into restoration systems. 

What’s more, restoration businesses are frequently under immense pressure to act fast to resolve building issues that impact on public health. Hackers use this pressure to their advantage, for example by installing ransomware to extort money, knowing that many business owners will pay demands because lives may be at stake. 

With more and more restoration businesses reliant upon sophisticated digital tools and data management, too, there are myriad opportunities for hackers to attack their systems, leak data and ruin reputations. 

Beyond public health and reputation concerns, cyberattacks are immensely costly for restoration experts. Across all industries, in fact, cybercrime costs are set to escalate to more than $15 trillion globally by the end of the decade.

The Types of Customer Data You Handle

The customer data you handle is extremely sensitive – from personally identifiable data such as names and addresses to financial records (such as invoicing and receipts), lives and livelihoods are at stake if they were to leak. 

Restoration firms also handle insurance data when communicating with carriers, for example, when they need to cover repair costs. Hackers see this data as highly lucrative, because it can open doors to financial information and may even be valuable when sold on the dark web. 

Ultimately, the customer data you handle can easily be used to commit fraud if handled by the wrong people. It’s all the more reason to invest in effective cybersecurity to prevent and bounce back from sophisticated attacks.

Where You’re Most at Risk

Restoration firms are most at risk from cyberattacks through phishing (where hackers use fake links and social engineering to gain the confidence of customers and employees), and through ransomware. 

The latter of these is particularly worrying. Hackers use ransomware to lock down systems and extort victims – only releasing access once payments are made. Given the emergency situations restoration experts frequently operate in, such attacks can force their hands and lose them significant capital. 

The smallest businesses in our industry are most at risk from this type of attack. According to University of Maryland research, six out of ten small businesses cease trading within six months of ransomware attacks – purely due to financial strain. 

Restoration businesses’ internal systems are at high risk from hacking if they aren’t carefully protected by efficient firewall solutions and access control. Unfortunately, to protect against the most sophisticated attackers and vectors, firms in our industry need to do more than run occasional malware scans.

Choosing Secure Digital Tools and Controlling Access

One of the most effective ways to fight back against emerging cyber threats and to protect sensitive restoration data is to invest in secure digital tools and software. Specifically, firms and individuals should opt for CRMs and data management software with multi-factor authentication and encryption built in as standard. 

It’s wise to look for software and tools developed by experts who are transparent about the limitations of their products. You should carefully research vendor reputations, read case studies and reviews from other industry professionals and ask for product tours and free trials wherever possible. 

Enhancing access control is also vital for stopping cyberattacks in their tracks. This can be as simple as, again, setting up multi-factor authentication for all systems you use or might involve using advanced methods such as AI-driven or biometric logins. 

Ultimately, simply revisiting your password strategy is a good starting point. Research from SMBGuide estimates that almost half of all data breaches involve access to passwords in one way or another.

Be Ready Before Something Goes Wrong

Prevention is better than the cure – a cliche to some extent, but when it comes to cybersecurity, time and financial expense on hardening your firm’s posture is minimal compared to the loss you might experience after an attack. 

One of the best ways to protect restoration systems and data against cyberattacks is to run regular checks on hidden vulnerabilities in software and hardware. For example, many firms run penetration tests at least twice a year – which involves ethical, controlled hacking to find out if there are any weaknesses and if so, how they can be remedied. 

IBM’s research suggests that the average cost of a data breach is currently $4.88 million, and that number is rising year-on-year. It’s a staggering figure, especially compared to the relatively low cost of investing in more secure infrastructure, training and weakness tests.

Make Security Part of the Job

When handling a client’s restoration project, it’s tempting to focus on the job at hand. However, considering the sensitive data you handle, the worrying potential outcome of said information leaking, it’s worth making cybersecurity an essential part of the work you do. 

Consider carrying out regular penetration testing and vulnerability scanning with cybersecurity experts, for example, and carefully choosing systems and software that protect sensitive data from falling into the wrong hands.

At the very least, you should take time to learn more about social engineering and confidence tricks – you never know who might scope you out as their next target.