Quietly but steadily, manufacturers across the U.S. are reinforcing their cyber defenses as digital attacks against the sector surge at an unprecedented pace. Industries that support everything from national defense to daily consumer needs are now collaborating more closely to reduce growing cyber risks.
Despite receiving less policy attention than sectors such as energy, healthcare, and telecom, manufacturing remains the most targeted of the 16 U.S.-recognized critical infrastructure sectors, according to multiple cybersecurity firms. Attackers are drawn to manufacturers because they store valuable intellectual property, rely on complex supply chains, and cannot afford downtime.
“Cyber disruptions can halt production, delay infrastructure projects, and create cascading supply chain impacts without causing physical damage,” said Chris Grove.
Rising geopolitical tensions between the U.S. and China have further raised concerns, as experts warn that cyberattacks could be used to weaken production capacity. “If the attack hits a key market component,” Sean Tufts said, “it’s like having a hurricane hit an entire industry at once.”
Alarming rise in attacks
Data highlights the scale of the threat. Ransomware groups claimed over 1,000 attacks on manufacturers in the past year. Companies face an average of 1,585 attempted attacks per week, with incidents rising 30% year over year. In Q4 2025, manufacturers were the most common victims on dark web leak sites.
Several major attacks disrupted operations in 2025. A leading U.S. steelmaker paused production in May after an IT breach that exposed personal data. In August, a British automotive giant shut factories for weeks, causing an estimated $2.5 billion economic impact and affecting over 2,700 organizations. “What makes the incident notable is that the systemic impact arose from a single company’s operational shutdown,” said Will Mayes.
Why manufacturers are vulnerable
Experts point to IT and OT network convergence, cloud adoption, IoT expansion, legacy systems, and third-party access as major risks. “That convergence expands the attack surface and creates multiple entry points,” Grove said. Financial pressure also limits security spending. “Cyber is expensive, with limited ROI,” Tufts said.
Threat actors increasingly exploit this reality. “Manufacturing is the most reliable place to extract a profit,” said Anna Chung.
Collaboration becomes key defense
To counter threats, companies are working together through an industry information-sharing group. In 2025, joint efforts included tabletop exercises, incident-response playbooks, OT training programs, and shared threat discussions. “Manufacturers trust information coming from peers,” Grove said.
Experts warn that a large-scale cyberattack could trigger severe economic disruption. “You must have a plan ahead of time,” Timothy Chase said.
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