Cybersecurity for the Manufacturing sector

As a cornerstone of the global economy, the manufacturing sector has long been a target for financially motivated criminals and nation-state actors alike. Industrial espionage itself dates back centuries - some credit the start of the Industrial Revolution to British silk spinner John Lombe, who in the early 18th century stole proprietary equipment designs from an Italian manufacturer. He returned to England and used the stolen knowledge to build the world’s first successful powered continuous production unit, laying the foundations for the modern factory.

Fast forward 300 years, and the threat of having your ideas stolen - or falling victim to other malicious activity - has not only grown but shifted into cyberspace. Today, manufacturers face an unprecedented surge in cyberattacks, from ransomware and Business Email Compromise to data theft and digital espionage. Nation state (sponsored) threat actors from China, Russia, Iran and North Korea are well known to target manufacturing organizations to obtain a commercial and/or intellectual advantage. As the industry continues to modernize and expand, so do the risks - especially if the appropriate defenses are not in place. 

How can you address this growing threat?  

There is a legendary saying on how to overcome your adversaries: 'know thy enemy and know yourself; in a hundred battles, you will never be defeated'. To know your enemy starts with gaining an understanding of your threat landscape, your adversaries’ intentions, their modus operandi, and specific attacking methods. The following sections provide a glimpse of the key threats facing the manufacturing sector, followed by our approach for defending against them. The blog series which can be found at the bottom of this page provides further details of the manufacturing threat landscape.