Dive brief:
- Pleasanton, Calif.-based Simpson Manufacturing Co. experienced a cyberattack that prompted the company to take defensive measures, including shutting down certain systems, according to a Securities and Exchange Commission Form 8-K presented by the company on Wednesday.
- The company, which is a supplier of materials such as fasteners, connectors and rebar plates through its subsidiary, Simpson Strong-Tie, discovered the incident on Oct. 10, according to the filing.
- Simpson expects the breach to continue to disrupt parts of its business operations, according to the filing. It has also hired third-party cybersecurity experts to aid its investigation and recovery efforts. The company is still assessing the nature and extent of the breach as its investigation is in the early stages, the document said.
Diving knowledge:
Shelby Lentz, director of marketing communications for Simpson Strong-Tie, told Construction Dive that the company had no more information outside of its SEC filing.
Simpson serves the residential, commercial, national retail, original equipment manufacturing and construction technology segments of the industry, according to its website. Last year, it had consolidated net sales of $2.12 billion, a 34.5 percent increase from $1.57 billion a year earlier, according to the company. full year earnings report.
This is at least the second construction-related company to have a visible cybersecurity incident in recent weeks.
Builders Mutual Insurance Co., a commercial construction insurer based in Raleigh, North Carolina, was the target of a hack which affected the personal information of 64,761 customers, current and former employees. The breach was revealed in a filing with the Maine Attorney General’s office on September 29.
