Who Stole the Blueprints? Cyber Lessons for South Florida Builders & Real Estate

Cybersecurity for South Florida builders and real estate teams matters more than ever. Construction sites, development projects, and property deals now run on laptops, email, cloud storage, and Wi-Fi — and cybercriminals know it.

Here’s a fun, true-to-life style story about why tech protection matters on every jobsite and every closing table.

The Case of the Disappearing Blueprints

A general contractor in Miami stored everything online — contracts, blueprints, inspection files, and photos. One morning, the foreman logged in and saw the worst possible message:

“Your files are encrypted. Pay to unlock.”

The jobsite stopped. Crews waited. Deadlines laughed. Everyone blamed everyone else.

Someone finally asked:

“Don’t we have backups?”

Silence. Turns out the “backup system” was emailing files to themselves and hoping for the best.

Hope is not a technology strategy.

Meanwhile… A Realtor Gets “The Email”

A realtor in Boca received what looked like a normal message:

“Please update wiring instructions for closing.”

Right logo. Correct property address. Friendly tone.

Except it wasn’t real.

The buyer wired the money — and it disappeared forever.

All from one email.

Why Construction and Real Estate Are Cyber Hotspots

Cybercriminals love industries with:

• Large amounts of money moving fast
• Teams making quick decisions
• Documents shared constantly

And many projects still rely on:

• Unsecured jobsite Wi-Fi
• Shared passwords
• Files scattered across random cloud folders
• “Whoever set it up before” technology

It’s the perfect storm — unless systems are built correctly.

How Smart Builders & Realtors Protect Their Tech

Here’s what forward-thinking teams across South Florida are doing now:

• Secure jobsite Wi-Fi — guest network separated from company devices
• Real backups — automated, verified, and tested regularly
• Email protection — scans phishing, blocks impersonation
• MFA everywhere — stolen passwords become useless
• File access controls — not everyone needs every file
• Phishing training — short, practical, real examples
• Payment verification rules — wiring instructions never change by email alone

Suddenly, projects run smoother — with fewer emergencies and fewer near disasters.

Tech Is Now Part of the Foundation

In South Florida, construction never stops. Real estate never sleeps. Deals move fast.

Technology is infrastructure now.

And when it’s strong, you get safer data, calmer teams, and happier clients.

Explore more cybersecurity insights for Florida businesses.

How DMT IT & Cybersecurity Solutions Helps

DMT IT & Cybersecurity Solutions supports builders, developers, realtors, title companies, and property managers across Broward, Miami-Dade, and Palm Beach.

We protect:

• documents
• email
• jobsite Wi-Fi
• backups
• cloud systems
• contracts and blueprints

Contact DMT IT & Cybersecurity Solutions today to protect your projects and keep operations running safely.

Helpful Cyber Resources

• CISA — Small Business Cyber Guidance
• FTC — Protecting Business Data
• DMT IT Insights Library