SC Media reports that organizations in the manufacturing industry were impacted by a record-high number of cyberattacks last year, maintaining its position as the sector most targeted by hackers, followed by finance and insurance and professional, business, and consumer services.
Manufacturing has remained an attractive target for cyberattacks due to the sector's significantly higher likelihood of succumbing to ransom payments.
This is driven by manufacturing's over-dependence on operational technology systems and market pressures, according to an analysis from KnowBe4 based on IBM X-Force data.
Ransomware attack disclosures in the sector also increased by 56% from 2022 amid threat actors' increasingly sophisticated attack techniques.
"As digital advances and interconnectedness in the sector increase, the attack surface and the sector's vulnerabilities are widening, with attacks on manufacturing becoming more frequent and more costly," said KnowBe4, which urged organizations in the sector to prioritize the implementation of cybersecurity defenses and attack prevention measures.
