Manufacturing continues to be the number one industry targeted by cyberattacks. We're not just witnessing another cybersecurity trend. It's a fundamental shift in how adversaries view and approach the manufacturing sector.
Ransomware groups target manufacturers because downtime is expensive, and desperate companies pay quickly. While this is partially true, it misses half the story. Arguably, the more dangerous half.
Manufacturing presents an obvious financial opportunity, as attacking a company's core operations creates maximum leverage for ransom demands. A manufacturer facing halted production isn't just losing money. They're missing delivery deadlines, disappointing customers, and potentially losing contracts.
But the financial motivation is actually less concerning than the other driving forces behind these attacks.
The Hacking Community's Proving Ground
The hacking community has always had members who want to prove themselves. It is a tight knit but highly competitive group that establishes clear lines of who are “in” their networks and who are fringe players. That motivation of wanting to prove to yourself has never changed. What has changed is the availability of information combined with that motivation.
Ten years ago, there was no virus, no malware, no education, and no information about attacking industrial systems. Today, you can download malware designed to attack a standard IT or OT system.
This represents a fundamental shift in the motivation, the knowledge, and the understanding of the OT environment. Aspiring cybercriminals and hacking groups can show they have what it takes to hack with classical accuracy and be taken seriously within their community. Yet while manufacturing has become a kind of entrance exam because it’s complex enough to demonstrate real skill, it also occupies a crucial middle ground in terms of consequences.
Just Right for Cybercriminals
Think about it from an attacker's perspective. If you hack a power plant and turn off electricity for an entire city, you've just painted a massive target on your back. The FBI, Europol, and every relevant agency will dedicate significant resources to finding you. Conversely, if you hack something insignificant, you haven't proven anything to anyone.
Manufacturing sits right in the middle. The technical challenge plus the potential for financial reward through ransomware because attacking the core business of a company is where that company will pay more than ever to get back their systems. But critically, it's much safer than attacking critical infrastructure. You have a lower possibility of being caught if you attack something that is not affecting the entire community.
This creates a perfect storm: with 91 percent of manufacturing organizations planning to adopt new technologies over the next twelve months, the attack surface is expanding precisely when both financially motivated criminals and skill-seeking hackers have more tools and knowledge than ever before.
The AI Advantage
While we discuss these threats, adversaries are already exploiting another advantage by using artificial intelligence better than what companies are using to defend themselves.
Why? Because if you're a hacker and your job is being disruptive and you fail, you basically don't create disruption. Failure doesn't have consequences. So you're much more keen to experiment, and you feel confident to try new techniques without knowing if it works or not.
On the defensive side, we do not have the same luxury. We have infrastructure that must work with constraints around 24/7 availability. When you introduce a new technology like AI, you need to be fully trusting. If it works, you’re a hero for your organization. If it doesn’t, CISOs know they’ll likely lose their jobs because they took a risk of implementing a new AI tool rather than relying on standard practices.
The result? CISOs are more hesitant to implement new AI tools that could level the playing field with adversaries for the risk of their own liability.
This asymmetry means adversaries are leveraging more AI technology than those on the defensive side. When you apply this to an industry like manufacturing where attackers are already highly motivated to target your organization, it’s a clear uphill battle for defenders.
Immediate Actions Manufacturing Leaders Must Take
First, recognize that what you did for the last ten years is not necessarily what you have to do for the next ten years – because hackers are certainly not relying on decades-old processes to attack. Challenge your existing processes.
There is the real possibility to change the way you do your job by putting together different sources, better integration, and obviously applying AI technology. You can spend more time being strategic and less time being tactical.
Once you’ve assessed the realities of your situation, it’s time to problem solve and implement tools that will level the playing field. I hear leaders say they need to implement AI, but the reality is you can't just “implement AI.” AI is a methodology that must be continuously built upon to be successful. Focus on your problem, then ask whether AI can help solve it as a long-term solution.
Manufacturing isn't going to become less attractive to adversaries anytime soon. The economics are too favorable, the technical challenge is appealing for those wanting to prove themselves, and the risk of getting caught remains lower than most critical infrastructure industries.
As organizations race to adopt new technologies to keep pace with attackers, each new system and connection potentially creates new vulnerabilities that can be exploited.
Defenders have advantages too. We're protecting something real from production capabilities to jobs, to supply chains that matter to the world. With the right approach, the right partners, and a willingness to rethink how we've always done things, manufacturing can shift from being a hacker’s entrance exam to becoming an industry that sets the standard for OT security.
