Cybersecurity Risks Put Manufacturing Resilience to the Test

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Cybersecurity has become one of the top three risks to the manufacturing sector. In this article we explore the unique risks manufacturers face, from IT/OT convergence to ransomware targeting uptime. We highlight why remediation remains difficult and how CISOs and CTOs can build resilience through Zero Trust for OT, AI-powered SOCs, continuous pentesting, and resilience planning.

Cybersecurity Joins the Top Tier of Manufacturing Risks

Manufacturers now consider cybersecurity their third most significant risk, just behind inflation and economic growth (Rockwell Automation report). What was once viewed as a purely technical issue is now a board-level business concern.

The reason is clear: attacks on operational technology (OT) environments don’t just threaten data—they can shut down production lines, halt supply chains, and compromise safety. This makes resilience—ensuring operations can withstand and recover from cyber events—the true measure of security maturity in the sector.

The Convergence Challenge: IT and OT Collide

More than half of manufacturers said securing OT assets is a primary factor in their technology investments. This reflects the growing reality: OT systems that were once isolated are now interconnected with IT networks, cloud platforms, and IIoT devices.

This convergence expands the attack surface and introduces identity sprawl: operators, contractors, machines, and APIs all require managed access. The traditional “air gap” no longer exists, making identity and access governance foundational to modern OT security.

Emerging Risks in Manufacturing Cybersecurity

The sector faces a complex threat landscape:

• AI-driven attacks – Adversaries are beginning to weaponize AI, creating more evasive and scalable campaigns.
• Legacy OT vulnerabilities – Manufacturing experiences the longest remediation times of any industry, with serious findings taking a median of 122 days to resolve. Reliance on vendor patches and the cost of downtime impede response.
• Ransomware targeting uptime – Attackers know every minute of downtime costs millions. OT systems, once offline-only, are now prime targets.
• Regulatory expansion – Governments are tightening mandates around critical infrastructure security, placing greater accountability on boards and executives.

The response from the industry is growing: almost two-thirds of manufacturers have already adopted a security platform for OT, while another one-third plan to deploy one within the next five years. This demonstrates recognition of both the risk and the need for resilience.

Building a Resilient Security Model for Manufacturing

To meet these challenges, CISOs and CTOs must invest in layered resilience strategies:

• Zero Trust for OT – Extend granular access controls to every operator, contractor, machine, and device. Every connection should be verified, monitored, and continuously assessed.
• AI-powered SOCs – More than six in 10 cyber or IT professionals in manufacturing plan to adopt AI or machine learning for security in the next 12 months. Early adopters already report measurable gains in posture, efficiency, and effectiveness.
• Continuous Pentesting – Going beyond compliance, structured pentesting uncovers exploitable vulnerabilities across IT and OT, providing evidence of real risk.
• Resilience and recovery planning – Accept that incidents will occur. Preparing for rapid isolation, secure backups, and minimal downtime is essential to safeguard both productivity and safety.

From Reactive Defense to Proactive Resilience

Too often, manufacturing cybersecurity strategies remain compliance-driven—focused on passing audits instead of reducing risk. But compliance does not equal security. Attackers exploit the gap between paper readiness and operational reality.

Resilient organizations move beyond this gap by integrating risk management, operational efficiency, and resilience into a single model. Security leaders who adopt this mindset gain not just protection, but also agility and assurance across global operations.

Resilience as Competitive Advantage

Cybersecurity is now a defining factor of competitiveness in manufacturing. Organizations that embed resilience into their IT and OT environments reduce risk, protect uptime, and build trust with regulators, partners, and customers.

For CISOs and CTOs, the mandate is clear: invest in resilience today—because in manufacturing, every disruption carries a price far greater than IT downtime.