Safeguarding Manufacturing Firms from Cyber Threats

Manufacturing firms find themselves at the forefront of a new wave of cyber attacks. In fact, the manufacturing sector witnessed the highest number of cyber attacks of all industries in 2023.

The increase in cyber attacks on manufacturers isn’t arbitrary – it’s a strategic move by malicious actors drawn to the sector’s vulnerabilities and the potential for widespread disruption.

Let’s explore why manufacturing firms are prime targets, the specific cyber threats they face and actionable strategies to bolster their defenses.

Read: Manufacturers: Are You Ready for CMMC 2.0?

Why Manufacturing Firms?

Cyber criminals target manufacturing firms for numerous reasons:

• Critical infrastructure: Manufacturing firms are the backbone of global economies and are responsible for producing essential goods, so their tolerance for downtime is extremely low. Disrupting their operations can have far-reaching consequences, including financial losses, reputational damage and even safety risks. This makes them attractive targets for cyber criminals seeking financial gain or geopolitical leverage.
• Intellectual property assets: The innovation and research invested in developing new products and processes make manufacturing firms repositories of valuable intellectual property (IP). Cyber attackers aim to steal these trade secrets for competitive advantage or monetary gain through espionage or selling to competitors.
• Supply chain complexity: The intricate, interconnected web of suppliers, vendors and partners in the manufacturing ecosystem presents multiple entry points for cyber attacks, especially since each link won’t share the same levels of cybersecurity protection. These weak links in the supply chain are often exploited to infiltrate more extensive manufacturing networks, amplifying the breach’s impact in a ripple effect and leading to compromised products or services.
• Legacy systems: Many manufacturing facilities rely on outdated machinery and control systems that were not designed with cybersecurity in mind. These legacy systems often lack basic security features and are incompatible with modern security solutions, leaving them vulnerable to exploitation by cyber threats.
• Rise of Industry 4.0 and the Internet of Things (IoT): The manufacturing sector is seeing a rise in internet-connected devices, including the Internet of Things (IoT), to increase automation, data analysis and productivity. It’s reported that over 60% of manufacturers have embraced IoT technologies. However, with this comes a rise in attacks against these devices – they provide an easy opportunity for cyber criminals to access networks and sensitive data.

Specific Cyber Threats Targeting Manufacturing Firms

• Ransomware: Manufacturing firms are often targeted by ransomware attacks, which is when cyber criminals encrypt networks or sensitive data and demand payment for the decryption keys. Ransomware has been a steady attack against manufacturing, as many firms are desperate to resume operations as quickly as possible and willingly pay the ransom, making them an easy target – most manufacturers pay $2 million to restore operations after a ransomware attack. Some recent examples of ransomware include MKS Instruments, Brunswick Corporation and Dole.
• Phishing: Another popular cyber attack is phishing, which is a social engineering technique where cyber criminals send false messages to victims to trick them into revealing sensitive data, like login credentials or customer information, or giving access to the company network. An alarming new trend is that these cyber criminals now use artificial intelligence (AI) to create highly convincing messages, including fake videos and audio.
• Supply chain attacks: Attackers compromise third-party networks to gain access to manufacturing systems; from there, the attacker can steal data, introduce malware or hack into further systems. These attacks typically involve some sort of phishing scam and lead to downtime, lost revenue and damaged reputations. Some examples of a supply chain attack are the Solar Winds attack, the Colonial Pipeline attack and the JBS Foods attack.
• Intellectual property theft: Intellectual property (IP) is particularly vital to manufacturing firms, as it can differentiate them from the competition; that’s why a competing company might use your IP to create a similar product or service quickly. Cyber espionage campaigns target manufacturing firms to steal IP designs, processes, formulas or customer data.
• Operational disruption: With more manufacturers turning to Industry 4.0 solutions, it makes sense that sabotage is increasing, too. Cyber attacks can disrupt manufacturing operations by intentionally sabotaging production processes or causing equipment malfunctions. This disruption can occur from malware, ransomware or unauthorized access. A famous example of this is the Stuxnet attack.

Read: AI for Your Industry: The Manufacturing Sector

Mitigating Cyber Attacks in Manufacturing Firms

Fortunately for manufacturing firms, many proactive cybersecurity strategies exist to help mitigate these cyber attacks and secure their equipment and networks. Remember: no company is immune to cyber attacks, so implementing as many cybersecurity strategies as possible can help lower the risk of getting attacked.

• Invest in cybersecurity awareness training: Regularly educate employees about cybersecurity best practices, including recognizing and reporting common cyber attacks and using strong passwords and multi-factor authentication. Encourage a culture of vigilance where employees are empowered to report suspicious activities. Businesses can also participate in industry forums and information-sharing initiatives to stay informed about emerging threats and best practices.
• Implement a layered security approach: Deploy a layered approach to cybersecurity, including firewalls, antivirus and antimalware software, intrusion detection and intrusion prevention systems and encryption, to protect networks, endpoints and data. These approaches should include continuous monitoring to detect anomalies, suspicious activities and unauthorized access in real-time.
• Conduct security audits and risk assessments: Identify and remediate security gaps and vulnerabilities through regular assessments of systems, networks and processes, including penetration testing. Prioritize areas with the highest risk exposure.
• Regularly update and patch system: Cyber attacks constantly evolve and look for new ways to enter a system. Keep software and operating systems up to date with the latest security patches to address known vulnerabilities, and replace outdated hardware.
• Enhance supply chain security: Collaborate with suppliers, vendors and partners to establish security standards, conduct regular audits and implement measures like secure communication channels and vendor risk management programs. This will ensure there are no gaps across various partners.
• Create an incident response plan: Develop and regularly test an incident response plan that outlines roles, responsibilities and procedures for containing, mitigating and responding to security incidents.
• Backup data regularly: Data backups are a powerful deterrent from cyber attacks, especially ransomware. Implement a thorough data backup plan that involves onsite and offsite backups.
• Network segmentation: Break up your network into segments to prevent cyber criminals from moving within it and causing further damage. Keep critical data and infrastructure separate from less sensitive information.
• Limit access and enforce zero trust: To further prevent cyber attacks, enforce strong access controls to sensitive information; only give permissions to authorized staff that need the data to complete their work. This idea goes hand in hand with the zero-trust model: “never trust, always verify.”

Thriveon Can Help Protect Your Manufacturing Firm

Implementing proactive cybersecurity measures can take time, money and resources, especially if you don’t know where to start or you don’t have a technical background. Plus, waiting until a cyber attack occurs to finally install security measures is way more costly than implementing them beforehand.

Thankfully, that’s where managed service providers like Thriveon can help.

We provide robust cybersecurity and managed IT services that safeguard your networks and sensitive data from cyber attacks. Our dedicated chief information officers work directly with manufacturing firms in Minnesota and Florida to ensure their protection.

Schedule a meeting with us now for more information.