Manufacturers face a paradox heading into 2026: their operations are more digitally connected than ever, yet many plants still rely on manual patching processes and outdated workflows that leave critical systems exposed. This is a pattern that must change with the new year, as attackers are moving faster with AI to exploit even long-forgotten vulnerabilities.
According to research, 94% of IT and security professionals say they’ve either adopted or plan to adopt patch automation within the next year. It’s a clear sign that manual methods aren’t keeping up with modern risk. Yet despite progress, more than three-quarters of enterprises still take a week or longer to deploy patches across their networks, leaving a wide window for attackers to exploit.
Without modernization, manufacturers risk starting 2026 with more exposure, not less. Read on for a practical checklist that manufacturers can leverage to close 2025 strong and prepare for what’s ahead.
Address the “Old Stuff” Before it Becomes Tomorrow’s Breach
Industrial organizations and manufacturers continue to succumb to vulnerabilities that are years old. Striking a balance between addressing urgent vulnerabilities and going back to catch up on old patches is critical for success.
The problems that old vulnerabilities pose to manufacturers are made worse by AI-driven exploits, which attackers are more frequently deploying. They no longer need deep coding skills to execute cyberattacks; they can simply feed legacy vulnerabilities into AI models that automatically generate attack scripts. This means that older Windows and Linux patches, once rated “medium” in severity, now deserve critical attention.
As the year winds down, security teams should conduct comprehensive vulnerability scans, identifying older exposures that may have been deprioritized at the time, including rarely touched, production-critical devices that benefit from holiday downtime for updates. Many of these lower-risk vulnerabilities have been reclassified as higher-risk because new exploit code has emerged. Adjusting patching policies to reflect this dynamic reality, rather than relying on static risk scores, can prevent these overlooked weaknesses from becoming next year’s crisis.
Map Your Hidden Endpoints and IoT Devices
As Industry 4.0 drives the adoption of connected sensors and smart machinery, visibility into security posture is eroding. In manufacturing environments, problems typically stem from IoT devices that do not fully run on operating systems. In some cases, security teams may not even be aware that a specific IoT device exists in their environments.
The ease of use of connected devices is part of the problem. A plant manager can order a productivity sensor online, plug it in, and connect it to Wi-Fi without IT ever knowing. This creates blind spots that attackers can exploit through default credentials or outdated firmware.
Now is the time to perform a comprehensive network discovery audit that includes both traditional endpoints and shadow IT devices. Once identified, IT teams should review each device for default or weak credentials, enforcing password rotation as needed. Manufacturers can also build a simple registration or approval process for any new device added to production networks, ensuring IT visibility before connectivity begins.
Establish and Compare YoY Metrics for Improved Processes
Before the year closes, manufacturers should evaluate whether their cybersecurity platforms actually empower collaboration. Tools that include role-based dashboards for executives, IT teams, and operations leaders help unify visibility and decision-making.
Running an end-of-year tabletop exercise across departments can also show tangible success metrics, such as reduced downtime, faster patch deployment, or improved compliance. Once in place, organizations can use the metrics to compare outcomes with those from years prior and inform decisions that build towards the goals for 2026. Whether it's updating tools or implementing tabletop exercises, each of these assets strengthens visibility into the metrics that matter, making it easier to sustain buy-in and align budgets with the goals and risk-reduction targets heading into next year’s cycle
Automate and Integrate Patch Processes
Heading into 2026, integration may be the most critical investment manufacturers can make. No tool is going to cover everything. While a security team might do a great job of discovering vulnerabilities, if the IT team isn’t fixing them through patching, the discoveries don't improve the organization’s security posture. Connecting those dots by turning insight into action is what separates reactive patching from resilient patching.
As a final step before the new year, organizations should ensure that their vulnerability detection, patch orchestration, and asset management systems exchange data seamlessly. Audits play an important role in ensuring that physical and digital systems are interconnected, such as barcode scanning data on a production line.
When these platforms communicate, remediation status updates can automatically flow between teams, eliminating manual handoffs and outdated reports. Manufacturers that automate the process from detection to verification while maintaining rollback and change control are better equipped to handle the evolving threat landscape.
Looking Ahead to 2026: The Final Piece of Building Resilience is Culture
Technology alone can’t fix fragmented cybersecurity. True resilience requires cultural alignment, from executives to equipment operators. When security administrators are the only ones who can see and use specific tools, they are responsible for communicating up and down the chain of stakeholders when issues arise.
Tools that provide visibility across departments, from C-suite dashboards and IT oversight to plant-level controls, help achieve greater success when advocating for cultural buy-in. Collaboration remains one of the most cited obstacles in patch management. In fact, 64% of organizations say their biggest impediment is coordinating vulnerability detection with remediation, and 58% report patching delays due to stakeholder involvement outside IT and security teams.
If 2024 and 2025 were about awareness, 2026 will be about acceleration. Attackers are automating, and manufacturers must do the same. While there’s no silver bullet to keep attackers out, manufacturers can drastically reduce their exposure by modernizing patching through automation.
Chaz Spahn is the director of product management at Adaptiva.Adaptiva
The race isn’t just against hackers, it’s against time, complexity, and inertia.
Modern patch management is no longer maintenance; it’s mission-critical resilience for the era of intelligent threats.
