Sonkor, M S and García De Soto, B (2021) Operational technology on construction sites: A review from the cybersecurity perspective. Journal of Construction Engineering and Management, 147(12): 04021172, ISSN 0733-9364
Abstract
The digital transformation in the construction industry affects how information is exchanged and disrupts the way construction sites operate. The levels of operational technology (OT) to control and monitor site activities by utilizing robotic, autonomous, and remotely controlled machines raise cybersecurity concerns. As construction sites are places where humans and machines work together, the potential safety outcomes of cybersecurity vulnerabilities are magnified. This study's motivation was to understand the current state of the art and identify gaps to suggest future directions regarding OT in construction from the cybersecurity perspective. To achieve that, a bibliometric analysis was conducted. The analysis utilized the Scopus database to retrieve related publications and VOSviewer version 1.6.15 software to visualize bibliometric networks. Main research themes were identified, and each theme was reviewed from a cybersecurity perspective. The limitations of the analysis include the lack of industry-based categorization, the domination of publications focusing on the cybersecurity of industrial control systems (ICSs), and the set of keyword combinations used for the literature search that could be expanded to cover a broader range of research topics. The findings reveal the lack of focus on the construction phase in the construction cybersecurity research. Moreover, cybersecurity aspects are absent in the construction automation studies, and there is a need for bespoke threat modeling and intrusion detection systems for all the phases of construction projects. Suggestions for further research on the potential threats against the construction phase are provided. Future directions include possible adaptations of the available cybersecurity frameworks considering the utilization of OT on construction sites and investigating the methods to evaluate security levels on construction sites and countermeasures against cyberattacks.
| Item Type: | Article |
|---|---|
| Uncontrolled Keywords: | construction 4.0; cyber-physical systems; cybersecurity; industrial control systems; supervisory control and data acquisition |
| Index terms: | construction industry, modelling, construction phase, automation, data acquisition, transformation, database, adaptation, construction 4.0, publication, construction project, control system, vulnerability, state of the art, construction site, bibliometric analysis, motivation |
| Subjects: | work location, psychology, analytical methods, project delivery, digital engineering, business, user focus, research dissemination and communication, data collection methods, data management, research evaluation and metrics, environmental hazards, industry analysis, monitoring and control, production management, automation and robotics |
| Topics: | Human Resources, Digital Applications, Design Practice, Site Management, Information Management, Engineering Principles, Research Practice, Project Management, Business Strategy, Sustainability |
| Descriptive scope: | 5 PCTEA |
N.B. Descriptive scope is a count of how many of the five facets of empirical research are indicated by the words used in title, abstract and keywords. It is not intended as a judgement on the research; merely a count of the kind of word we would expect to indicate Phenomenon, Concepts, Theoretical framing, Empirical techniques, Analytical techniques. If all five are present, then a code of “5 PCTEA” will indicate this. If you feel the coding for this record is questionable, we welcome discussion around the terms we matched or the way we categorized them. The facet you would expect may not be coded, or a facet may be coded inappropriately. This can also bear on a larger question, of which facets should be treated as defining in construction management research. Please get in touch, and we will look at it. More details here