Why Smart Building Systems Become a Weak Link in Property Security

Editor's note:Chris Skipworth is the CEO of Passpack, a password management platform. This article reflects the author's personal views.

Over the past decade, commercial buildings have become significantly more connected. Property teams rely on digital platforms to manage HVAC systems, control access, monitor energy consumption, operate elevators, and oversee fire and life safety equipment. Many buildings also run tenant applications and remote dashboards, enabling operators to adjust environmental parameters in real time. The resulting level of visibility and efficiency was nearly unimaginable just a few years ago.

However, despite the surge in investment in these systems, the way people access them has changed slowly. In many facilities, passwords are still recorded in spreadsheets, shared among teams, or informally passed along during duty handovers.

This gap is significant because cyber threats are no longer confined to traditional IT networks. According to the IBM X-Force Threat Intelligence Index, nearly70% of attackstargeted operational technology and critical infrastructure industries in 2024, with credential leaks being one of the most common entry points. In other words, building systems are often not breached through sophisticated vulnerabilities but through ordinary access weaknesses that remain unaddressed.

Access Complexity and Vendor Visibility Gaps

Today, most commercial properties operate within a dense ecosystem of digital systems: building management platforms, IoT sensors, surveillance controls, lighting software, and vendor service portals. Each system has its own user accounts, permission structures, and management processes.

Individually, these systems are manageable. But as environments scale, risks gradually emerge. Facility leaders often manage multiple sites with different technologies and service providers, and access practices tend to evolve locally rather than centrally, leading to inconsistent ways credentials are issued, tracked, and revoked.

Shared logins often become a practical shortcut because employees and contractors can act quickly without waiting for account setup. But this convenience comes at a cost. When multiple people use the same credential, accountability disappears, activities cannot be traced, and incident response becomes more difficult.

Vendor access exacerbates this challenge, and most of it should be temporary. Contractors receive credentials to install equipment, troubleshoot, or perform maintenance, but these accounts often remain active after tasks are completed. In fast-paced facility environments, restoring systems to normal operation takes priority over formal deactivation processes.

Over time, unmanaged entry points accumulate. Employee turnover, subcontractor changes, and service arrangement adjustments make records difficult to keep accurate. As a result, many property teams face a simple yet serious challenge: they cannot confidently say who still has access to critical building systems.

From Visibility Gaps to Governance Discipline

Closing access gaps usually does not require new technology. More often, it comes down to clearer governance and consistent daily practices.

The starting point is simple visibility. Maintaining a single, up-to-date record of who can access each building system gives teams immediate insight into ownership and accountability. Without this baseline, even routine oversight becomes difficult.

Building on this, eliminating shared logins brings significant improvements. Setting up unique credentials for employees and vendors creates a clear audit trail, making it easier to track activities and respond quickly when issues arise.

Strong password discipline reinforces these controls. Unique credentials, regular rotation, and restricted reuse directly target the most common entry points for ransomware, which often rely on weak or reused passwords rather than sophisticated technical vulnerabilities.

Securing Vendor Access Without Disrupting Operations

Vendor access deserves special attention because it sits at the intersection of operational urgency and external risk.

A pragmatic first step is tying access to contract duration. When credentials have clear expiration dates, accounts naturally lapse unless intentionally renewed.

Limiting permissions also helps control risk. Vendors should only access the systems necessary for their work, reducing potential damage if credentials are misused.

Regular reviews keep these controls effective. Periodic audits help confirm whether permissions still match current contracts, responsibilities, and operational needs.

Strengthening Defenses with Multi-Factor Authentication

Even strong password practices have limitations. Multi-factor authentication (MFA) adds a second layer of protection by requiring an additional verification step.

This safeguard is especially valuable for remote connections, which are common in vendor support environments. Enforcing MFA for administrative roles and remote access significantly reduces the likelihood of unauthorized entry.

Treating Credential Governance as an Operational Priority

As building systems become increasingly digital, facility teams increasingly need to manage access permissions beyond their traditional responsibilities. They are closest to the platforms, vendors, and daily operational decisions that determine who needs entry.

Treating credential oversight as a core operational function helps align responsibility with actual risk. Clear ownership, consistent procedures, and coordination among facility, IT, and risk teams establish a more reliable approach across properties.

Routine practices such as centralized tracking, regular access reviews, vendor governance procedures, and periodic tabletop exercises can sustainably enhance resilience without significant new investment.

From Technical Details to Strategic Risk Control

For decades, property security has focused on visible protections: door locks, cameras in common areas, and alarms connected to life safety systems. Today, digital access deserves equal attention. Credentials now serve as keys to critical building infrastructure, yet they are rarely managed and overseen as consistently as physical controls.

The good news is that reducing risk does not require complex technology or significant new investment. Pragmatic steps can make a notable difference. Unique credentials replace shared logins with clear accountability, centralized access records provide consistent visibility, role-based permissions limit unnecessary access scope, multi-factor authentication adds a strong layer of protection, and regular reviews ensure access stays aligned with current roles and vendors.

In increasingly connected building environments, controlling who can log in is becoming just as critical as controlling who can enter.