Michael Mullin, left, president of Integrated Business Systems, Totowa, NJ, and Kai Pfiester, founding partner and cyber security expert with Black Cipher Security, Cherry Hill, NJ

TOTOWA AND CHERRY HILL, NJ—For most business sectors, including the commercial real estate industry, cybercrime is a very real threat, but as we have seen time and again, many organizations are underestimating the potential damage.

A single cyber-attack—one slip-up from even a smart, tenured employee clicking on the wrong email—can open the door to a company's undoing.

If a business falls victim to a cybercrime attack in which client data is compromised, its leadership will be investigated and questioned about what they did to prevent it from happening. If the answer is inadequate, they can be found liable. The company might be required by law to inform clients that their private records, financials and data have been exposed. Client relationships will be put in jeopardy, and the competition will look to leverage the opportunity. And, unless the victim company has a very specific type of crime insurance, no help will come from the bank.

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Steve Lubetkin

Steve Lubetkin is the New Jersey and Philadelphia editor for GlobeSt.com. He is currently filling in covering Chicago and Midwest markets until a new permanent editor is named. He previously filled in covering Atlanta. Steve’s journalism background includes print and broadcast reporting for NJ news organizations. His audio and video work for GlobeSt.com has been honored by the Garden State Journalists Association, and he has also been recognized for video by the New Jersey Chapter of the Society of Professional Journalists. He has produced audio podcasts on CRE topics for the NAR Commercial Division and the CCIM Institute. Steve has also served (from August 2017 to March 2018) as national broadcast news correspondent for CEOReport.com, a news website focused on practical advice for senior executives in small- and medium-sized companies. Steve also reports on-camera and covers conferences for NJSpotlight.com, a public policy news coverage website focused on New Jersey government and industry; and for clients of StateBroadcastNews.com, a division of The Lubetkin Media Companies LLC. Steve has been the computer columnist for the Jewish Community Voice of Southern New Jersey, since 1996. Steve is co-author, with Toronto-based podcasting pioneer Donna Papacosta, of the book, The Business of Podcasting: How to Take Your Podcasting Passion from the Personal to the Professional. You can email Steve at [email protected].