Manufacturing OT Cybersecurity Market Pulse Survey
A recent Connection/Foundry survey of senior decision-makers employed in IT, operations, production, and executive management roles reveals a disturbing increase in the number of successful cybersecurity attacks or events since a previous survey. Read our latest survey to learn more about the increasingly concerning and costly statistics.Amid growing awareness of cybersecurity risks to manufacturing operational technology (OT) systems, senior decision-makers increasingly are grappling with the potential impacts of downtime, missed shipments, and reputational damage, along with the growing costs of cybersecurity insurance or inability to comply with provider requirements for coverage.
#1
most attacked industry1
84%
of manufacturers report one or more successful cybersecurity attacks in last 12 months2
68%
of manufacturers perceive cybersecurity workforce shortages and lack of skillsets as a significant or severe risk to business3
59%
of manufacturers experience increasing cybersecurity insurance premiums due to insufficient security posture in IT and OT4
Top Concerns Around the Impact of Cybersecurity for Businesses
Decision-makers are concerned about their ability to address threats with internal resources, with 68% indicating that cybersecurity workforce shortages and lack of skillsets to address OT cybersecurity pose a significant or severe degree of risk.Financial Impacts Go Beyond the Bottom Line
Just as in 2022, financial losses, downtime/outages, and reputational damage are the top three concerns among survey respondents, but the latter accounts for the biggest change, with an uptick from 41% to 54%. The results indicate a growing awareness that not only could their companies lose money from a successful attack, but it also may deter customers and partners from doing business with them. Another growing negative impact is the cost and even ability to qualify for cybersecurity insurance, with 84% in 2024 reporting their organizations have experienced challenges with finding or qualifying for coverage. That’s up from 65% in 2022. 98% plan moderate to significant investment in modernizing IT or industrial networking solutions over the next 12 months.
Challenges with Cybersecurity Insurance
Regardless, costs are going up, with 59% saying the cost of insurance premiums is high or increasing due to their cybersecurity posture. That’s a substantial increase over the 2022 survey. Across the industry, insurers expect their customers to shore up their cybersecurity posture, skilled resources, and security-minded culture.Investing in Managed Compliance Services
Many manufacturers are understandably concerned over vulnerabilities as they pursue competitive advantage through modern convergence and infrastructure that will enable future investments into smart manufacturing technologies, effective data orchestration, and exchange of information across functions. Modernization is underway at 98% of surveyed companies, with 56% allocating significant investments to upgrade and enhance OT or industrial networking infrastructure, and 42% planning moderate investments to improve existing OT or networking systems. Foremost among investment drivers are improving operational efficiency (69%), scalability for future growth (63%), and security trailing somewhat at 54%.
Defend, Comply, and Consolidate Manufacturing Cybersecurity
61% of successful attacks occur in manufacturing due to a lack of asset and risk visibility, mature cybersecurity, and ongoing compliance monitoring. Connection can help you protect your business and keep it compliant and operational with our Managed Cybersecurity and Compliance Services.Protecting OT Systems Report
The manufacturing sector is the most attacked industry, which places an emphasis on the need for greater security of manufacturing OT systems. In partnership with Foundry, we surveyed 100 senior decision makers to learn how they are protecting their OT systems. Read our report to learn more about the risk mitigation efforts being implemented to limit exposure.
Manufacturing IT and OT Security
When not managed properly, IoT devices, homebrew apps, end-of-life software—and much more–all offer pathways to what hackers are after most: access to your data. The solution is better security. But there is a lot of uncertainty around this topic in the manufacturing industry. Don’t become a victim of cybercrime. Equip yourself with the information you need to know when it comes to improving your factory’s defense strategy. Watch this video to hear Ryan Spurr, Manufacturing Strategy Director at Connection, discuss several security topics related to the manufacturing industry, including:- Trends and increasing risks of manufacturing security
- The role of operational technology and increasingly digitally integrated organizations
- Top threat vectors contributing to successful breaches
- Popular solutions to consider in manufacturing
- Thoughts and predictions about manufacturing security
Connection Community
Manufacturers on High Alert: Cybersecurity Incidents Driving Managed Services Adoption Over the years, the acceleration towards automation, artificial intelligence, and interconnected systems has transformed manufacturing into a powerhouse of efficiency. This digital revolution comes with a cost: an amplified threat landscape.
Over the past few years, we’ve seen a rise in cybersecurity events in manufacturing, both in the public domain and through our client engagements. This also bears out in industry statistics, with manufacturing becoming the #1 most attacked industry two years in a row and with a heavy focus of attacks targeting operational technology environments.
Manufacturing is now the #1 most attacked industry. The threats are real, and unsecured devices and networks, lack of cyber awareness, and supply chain attacks only heighten the risk. These threats cannot be addressed with technology alone; building a strong policy base and cyber culture is critical.
With manufacturing becoming the #1 most attacked industry for two years in a row, the threats are real—and something we all need to take seriously. The #1 result of cybersecurity incidents was extortion, accounting for 32% of all successful events within manufacturing.
IT has long battled cybersecurity incidents across various industries for years and implemented measures to combat threats in the traditional IT domain. But there has been a massive shift from traditionally targeted industries to manufacturing in the last couple of years.
1 IBM X-Force Threat Intelligence Index, 2024
2,3,4 Connection Manufacturing OT Cybersecurity Market Pulse Survey, 2024
2,3,4 Connection Manufacturing OT Cybersecurity Market Pulse Survey, 2024
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