Nearly 95% of organisations in the manufacturing sector have been hit by cyber attacks in the past year

The figures don't lie. More and more companies are facing cyber attacks. For example, 29 per cent of organisations have experienced a cyber attack once in the past year that resulted in operational downtime. Almost two-thirds (59 per cent) have experienced two or three times, and 12 per cent four or five times. Looking at different sectors, 90 per cent of organisations in manufacturing have experienced a cyber attack in the past 12 months. 96 per cent in the energy sector and in the oil and gas sector it was as high as 100 per cent. These figures highlight a worrying trend: industries are shifting their focus from preventing cyber attacks to mitigating the inevitable damage.

One of the most pressing concerns for C-level decision-makers in the manufacturing sector is the vulnerability of connected and IoT devices. Thereby, 22 per cent of respondents consider IoT vulnerabilities as their biggest threat. The rapid adoption of IoT in industrial environments has increased the attack surface, resulting in more access points. In addition, human factors remain a significant risk. 21 per cent of respondents see insider threats as an ongoing problem, alongside concerns about physical security breaches (21 per cent) and unauthorised access and credential theft (20 per cent). This highlights the need for tighter access controls and monitoring for illegal activity by employees.

The survey also revealed key barriers that prevent organisations from fully understanding their cybersecurity needs. Almost one-third (30 per cent) see keeping up with the rapidly evolving threat landscape as an obstacle. An equally large proportion name quantifying cyber risks and striking a balance between regulatory compliance and operational efficiency as key obstacles. Interestingly, budgetary constraints, sometimes considered a major obstacle, were less prominent (24%). This suggests that complexity and understanding, rather than cost, is the main roadblock to implementing more effective cybersecurity.

As industrial operations increasingly rely on interconnected systems and automation, vulnerabilities within Operational Technology (OT) environments are becoming more prominent. OT which includes the management of physical processes and machines is particularly susceptible to targeted cyber attacks with real consequences. Many organisations find it difficult to secure these systems, exposing them to threats that shift from IT networks to OT infrastructures. The study highlights the critical importance of closing this gap before it leads to more serious incidents, which can affect production lines as well as critical infrastructure.

"Organisations often think they are less vulnerable because their environment consists of non-standard systems," explains Jornt van der Wiel, security expert at Kaspersky's Global Research and Analysis Team. "Once attackers are inside, they are often able to obtain manuals or other information to gain a better understanding of the target's environment, after which they can proceed to the final attack. So-called 'security through obscurity' is therefore a poor starting point."

Kaspersky conducted a comprehensive survey of 802 C-level decision-makers of large enterprises with more than 1,000 employees in sectors such as energy, manufacturing and oil and gas in the Netherlands, Belgium and the UK in August 2024. The data in this press release comes from the responses of 203 Dutch C-level decision-makers. Respondents were questioned about cyber security measures within their organisations, the barriers they face as management teams and the challenges posed by vulnerabilities in their supply chains.

Source: Kaspersky Photo: Pixabay

Read also: Cyber attacks in the manufacturing industry are exploding in size and complexity