Cybersecurity has been deemed an “operational risk” for manufacturers, with 30% of manufacturer either being directly affected by it or through their supply chains.
While the remaining 70% are able to slot online that disrupt operations – according to Make UK, The Manufacturer’s Organisation’s recent report on Cybersecurity In Manufacturing – the remaining manufacturers have become clear targets for cybercriminals.
Cyber resilience gains ground
The report found cyber incidents carry particular weight when systems connect to physical production through operational technology, robotics and connected machinery. It leads to production stops, delayed orders and disappointed customers.
These consequences flow through to supply chain partners. “Critical infrastructure (including the manufacturing sector) has long been favoured by cybercriminals,” says Steve Bradford, Senior Vice President and General Manager for EMEA at SailPoint, which provides identity management solutions.
“Supply chains are often complex and sprawling. Legacy infrastructure and ‘tool sprawl’ offer bad actors fertile ground.”
Steve adds that hackers need to compromise only one supplier’s credentials to cause disruption across the entire supply and demand network.
Digital systems introduce vulnerabilities
Manufacturing environments once operated in isolation but now link to business systems, cloud platforms, suppliers and remote monitoring tools. These connections bring cybersecurity risk.
Of the 30% of manufacturers that experienced cyber incidents in the past year, 20% were able to mitigate the impact. The other 10% suffered severe consequences both financial and operational.
According to the report, manufacturers should assume risk already exists in their operating environment. The question then becomes how to detect weaknesses early, contain them quickly and recover immediately if production gets targeted.