Cybersecurity for Manufacturing - A Comprehensive Guide

How to Build a Robust Cybersecurity Plan for Your Manufacturing Company

It’s not easy being responsible for cybersecurity within a manufacturing firm – it’s an essential job to protect the intellectual property (IP), connected equipment, and complex supply chains that keep the operations of a manufacturing firm running smoothly.

Increased reliance on digital and cloud technology in manufacturing – including operational technology (OT), internet-of-things (IoT) devices, and digital supply chains – has expanded the attack surface while increasing the difficulty of threat detection and protection.

When the production line stops, so does revenue, potentially costing thousands of dollars for every minute of downtime. To stop operational risks and threats like ransomware and supply chain attacks without stopping the lines, you need protection that works with your reality: limited staff, tight budgets, and systems that can't afford downtime.

On the next few pages, we’ll look at how your manufacturing firm can address cyber threats and risks to operations using the resources you have today. We’ll explore the importance of protecting your entire ecosystem, the top cyber threats facing manufacturing companies, and the building blocks of a holistic cybersecurity strategy.

Protecting the entire ecosystem

At the same time manufacturing firms are embracing digital technology to increase their capabilities, precision, and efficiency, they’re recognizing the importance of protecting the organization from a myriad of external threats.

A 2025 Deloitte survey of manufacturing executives found that 65% ranked operational risks as their highest priority, including preventing unauthorized access, intellectual property theft, operational disruption, and more. The risks include business disruption and losses stemming from failed initiatives.

Addressing cyber threats by implementing a strong risk management strategy affects every component of your organization:

• Operational continuity – Cybercriminals target manufacturing because they expect to be paid a ransom by companies that want to avoid disruption and unwanted publicity. As you add facilities, third-party suppliers, AI, and automation, it’s an increasingly complex challenge just keeping the lights on and production humming.
• Customers – The rise of connected industrial control systems and IoT products transforms every device into a potential gateway for attackers. This has implications for product safety, quality assurance, and consumer privacy. Cyber activity that goes undetected can even impact customers post-purchase if their IoT devices are vulnerable. 
• Supply chains – A few short years ago, we had a worldwide pandemic to blame for empty shelves and delivery delays. A shortage caused by a cyber incident may not receive the same kind of patience. In all but the most brand-loyal cases, customers and retailers have learned to pivot to other sources to fulfill their needs.
• IP – In the Deloitte survey cited above, intellectual property theft was considered the second biggest operational risk of concern for manufacturers (47%), while another 32% ranked cyber risk as one of their highest priorities. This highlights the importance of protecting proprietary information from exposure or theft.
• Trust and reputation – While data breaches have become the norm in our newscycles,  a poorly managed cybersecurity incident can still cause irreparable harm to your brand, expensive legal consequences, regulatory scrutiny, and loss of trust from partners.
• Fiscal responsibility – Most organizations don’t have unlimited budgets for cybersecurity – spending on infrastructure protection needs to align with your organization’s financial priorities. This means your detection and response strategy can’t be overbuilt or require teams of expensive consultants and additional personnel to deploy, build and manage on a daily basis.
• Team productivity and retention – Rely on motivated teams to monitor infrastructure and respond to potential threats. Providing on-the-job training and professional development opportunities for entry-level talent is essential for developing a skilled cybersecurity workforce for the future, as well as offering advancement opportunities for the existing workforce.
• Employee engagement – Organizations in every sector are finding that holistic cyber threat protection requires engaging users at every level. Employees will often be the first line of defense in identifying suspicious activity and preventing unauthorized access.

Your organization was built to build products, but cybersecurity is fundamental to making sure you can get the job done.

Top cyber threats in manufacturing

In 2024, manufacturing saw a stark increase in data breaches from the year prior – an 89% rise overall (2025 Verizon DBIR). Cybercriminals take many factors into account when it comes to their target victims, including potential vulnerability and ease of compromise. Part of that vulnerability equation lies in the sheer number of legacy assets manufacturers have and the hefty investments needed to re-design production lines or retire equipment.

According to the National Institute of Standards and Technology (NIST), small to medium-sized manufacturing businesses are especially susceptible to cyber threats because they are often less prepared for an event, have valuable information that is not well protected, are willing to pay ransoms to avoid costly disruptions, and act as entry points to other valuable targets. The statistics tell the story, as more than 90% of breached organizations were SMBs with fewer than 1,000 employees (2025 Verizon DBIR).

Major types of cyber threats to manufacturing firms include:

• Ransomware – Ransomware incidents rank as the top action variety affecting manufacturing data breaches, up from 35% last year to 47% in 2024. Even when manufacturing companies fork over the ransom, they often experience costly production delays. Paying ransom is only a short-term fix if you don’t have the protective measures in place to thwart the next attack. 
• IP theft – It’s not just competitive companies that are looking to get ahead by getting their hands on proprietary designs and formulas. State actors are also looking for ill-gotten advantages. When it comes to data stolen in manufacturing breaches, 64% is internal – sensitive plans, reports, and email, according to the 2025 Verizon DBIR.
• Supply chain attacks – 42% of manufacturers reported experiencing a third-party related breach, with 35% traced back to overly broad vendor privileges. (Ponemon, 2025). And nearly one-third of breaches now originate from third-party vendors, a 40% increase in just two years. (SecureWorld, 2025). Attackers often break in via an insecure partner, vendor, or service so they can disrupt the entire pipeline.
• IoT exposure – Industrial and consumer IoT devices have dramatically expanded the threat landscape for manufacturing companies. IoT access to networks has transformed every connected device into a potential gateway for attackers, exposing corporate networks and industrial control systems (ICS) to cyber threats. IoT is considered an emerging threat, but it’s certainly one that bad actors are poised to exploit.

In 2025, 60% of all breaches involved a human element, while 30% of breaches involved a third-party – doubling from 15% the year before (2025 Verizon DBIR). The three primary ways attackers access organizations are credential abuse, exploitation of vulnerabilities, and phishing. This means manufacturing firms must take a holistic approach to cybersecurity – protecting, defending, and responding with technology, intelligence, and best security practices.

Findings from Deloitte’s 2024 Global Future of Cyber Survey: 

• 91% of respondents reported one or more cybersecurity breaches in the last year 
• Theft of intellectual property is the most frequently cited concern facing manufacturers (63%) 
• Phishing, malware, and ransomware combined emerged as the top threat vector, reported by 34%
• Key cybersecurity concerns in manufacturing relate to personnel: Social engineering (27%), employee errors and omissions (26%), employee abuse of IT systems and information (25%), and even mobile devices (24%) were cited as vulnerabilities. 
• 29% of executives are concerned about the ability to hire competent cybersecurity professionals. (Based on 35 executive interviews and 225 survey responses)

The building blocks of a holistic cybersecurity strategy

No single solution or platform will provide a robust enough cybersecurity strategy. You need to address multiple components and then continuously update what you’re doing to keep up with an evolving threat landscape. Let’s break it down.

1. Be risk informed 

In order to develop a robust cybersecurity strategy, you must understand what risks you need the strategy to address. The first step is to understand your risk tolerance - what consequences your organization cannot tolerate, and what consequences it can accept. 

2. Conduct a Risk Assessment 

The next step will be completing a thorough risk assessment. Deloitte’s Cybersecurity for Smart Factories report found that more than half of manufacturers surveyed have not performed a cybersecurity assessment within the past six months. A thorough risk assessment should include your people, data, intellectual property, and business reputation as assets potentially at risk, in addition to your industrial control systems.

RISK ASSESSMENT RESOURCES

The National Institute of Standards and Technology Risk Management Framework (NIST RMF) is a set of guidelines for managing information security risk. It provides a comprehensive approach to identifying, assessing, and responding to cybersecurity threats, helping organizations protect their systems and data.

NIST Special Publication 800-37 Rev. 2: Risk Management Framework for Information Systems and Organizations: A System Life Cycle Approach for Security and Privacy (NIST SP 800-37r2) provides risk management implementation guidance.

The NIST Cybersecurity Supply Chain Risk Management (C-SCRM) program provides guidelines and best practices for organizations to identify, assess, and mitigate cybersecurity risks related to their supply chains. It focuses on helping organizations manage risks stemming from the global and distributed nature of information and communications technology product and service supply chains.

The International Organization for Standardization ISO 31000 is a family of international risk management standards. It provides principles, a framework and a process for managing risk.

The ISO/IEC 31010:2019 standard on risk management specifically provides risk assessment techniques.

3. Develop and iterate your program

A thorough and objective risk assessment will result in a prioritized list of next steps to level up your security posture. If your current information security policy or cybersecurity program has been on the shelf for a year or more without an update, or if you're concerned it might be missing something, several resources are available to help guide your planning.

The World Economic Forum, concerned about a lack of an overarching cybersecurity standard across sectors and countries, is convening stakeholders from the manufacturing ecosystem, including the public sector and academia, to strengthen cyber resilience. Meanwhile, a handful of frameworks offer guidance and resources for developing and evolving a cybersecurity program:

CYBERSECURITY FRAMEWORKS FOR MANUFACTURING

The National Institute of Standards and Technology Cybersecurity Framework (NIST CSF) provides guidelines and best practices for organizations to better manage and reduce cybersecurity risk. It consists of standards, guidelines, and practices to promote the protection of critical infrastructure, enabling organizations to manage cybersecurity risks in a cost-effective way.

The Center for Internet Security Critical Security Controls (CIS Controls) are a recommended set of action items or cybersecurity best practices developed by the Center for Internet Security. They provide a prioritized approach to help organizations implement critical defensive techniques against the most common attack patterns covering areas like inventory and control of hardware/ software assets, continuous vulnerability management, and data protection.

The International Society of Automation's (ISA/IEC 62443) is a series of standards developed by the International Society of Automation (ISA) that provide procedures for implementing electronically secure industrial automation and control systems. It establishes requirements for securing industrial automation and control systems and addresses both technical and process management aspects across all industry sectors.

The International Organization for Standardization ISO/IEC 27001 is an international standard that provides a framework and set of requirements for an Information Security Management System (ISMS). It outlines a systematic approach to managing sensitive information and ensuring its confidentiality, integrity, and availability for businesses in all industries.

NIST Special Publication 800-171 Rev. 3: Protecting Controlled Unclassified Information in Nonfederal Systems and Organizations (NIST SP 800-171r3) provides federal agencies and non-federal agencies that work with government entities, including any government contractors and subcontractors with recommended requirements for protecting the confidentiality of controlled unclassified information (CUI) when it is resident in nonfederal systems and organizations. It outlines a set of security requirements that nonfederal organizations must meet when processing, storing or transmitting CUI on their information systems to ensure its protection.

The SANS Institute is a private U.S. company that specializes in cybersecurity training and certification. It provides intensive immersion training and resources designed to help security professionals master the practical steps necessary for defending industrial control systems and networks against the most dangerous threats.

The Manufacturing Information Sharing and Analysis Center (MFG-ISAC) is a nonprofit threat awareness and mitigation community for small, medium, and enterprise manufacturers in the United States. MFG-ISAC shares open-source and proprietary intelligence, and provides tools and methods for prevention, remediation, and recovery.

4. Implement security best practices

Having policies and plans is only the beginning. It is critical to use multiple layers of security controls.

• Maintain strict physical security controls over ICS facilities and components to prevent unauthorized access or tampering.
• Establish rigorous access controls, authentication mechanisms, and monitoring for all ICS components, with strict management of permissions and credentials.
• Implement secure coding practices, conduct thorough testing, and maintain a comprehensive vulnerability management program as a part of change management.
• Develop and test comprehensive incident response and disaster recovery plans specifically for ICS environments to ensure resilience and business continuity.

NIST, in its report on cybersecurity risk mitigation for small manufacturers, recommends using security segmentation to protect assets, grouping them based on their cybersecurity protection needs to manage protection at the group level. For example, mission-critical functions or assets used for handling hazardous materials may require stronger cybersecurity protection than an email server.

5. Faster detection equals less damage

The 2024 IBM Cost of a Data Breach report says it takes industrial organizations, including manufacturers, an average of 199 days to detect a breach. That's more than six months in which an attacker can roam around your systems and exploit access without being blocked. Faster detection allows you to respond and contain a threat before it damages your organization.

Key to any risk management strategy is a comprehensive solution for threat detection that doesn't just notice anomalous activity but also helps you identify the nature and level of concern. Blumira has dramatically shortened the time to detection to a window of 5-30 minutes. Notifications are bundled and prioritized to help guide your response. Expert human support is also available to assist with threat analysis.

6. Automated response will help you sleep at night

If you don't have the resources to staff a round-the-clock security operations center (SOC) - and even if you do - your cybersecurity platform should include automated blocking and host isolation. These automated solutions can be tuned to respond immediately, containing priority threats so your team has time to safely investigate. Manufacturing firms live with the unfortunate reality of cyber criminals constantly testing their defenses. Automated threat response can block bad actors from moving laterally through your environment, preventing them from accessing anything of value or disrupting the business.

Once a threat is detected, identified, and isolated, your team needs to have the right resources and support to respond. Blumira provides playbooks with each detection and a 24/7 team of security experts who help investigate and resolve critical issues.

"We get at least 100 messages a day from our anti-malware software. It's not possible to deal with it and get your job done. Now, we just ship the logs right to Blumira. They correlate that data with logs from our other devices and outside threat intelligence to analyze the threat levels and advise us on proper responses. It's freed up time and worry. When I go to bed at night, I'm not wondering who's not watching the firewall." 

Dan Kontak, IT Director at National Machinery, LLC

7. The role of cybersecurity insurance

Cybersecurity insurance can help cover expenses associated with data recovery and system restoration in the aftermath of a security breach. It can also help pay for legal actions from affected parties, regulators, or business partners following an incident. Like most types of commercial insurance, underwriting is influenced by the protective measures your company has in place. That means you can keep insurance costs in line by demonstrating protection, risk management, threat awareness, and regulatory compliance. The Blumira website includes suggested responses to common insurance application questions as well as other in-depth informational resources.

8. Unburden compliance

Lawmakers have become increasingly interested in cybersecurity as they recognize the impact of disruptions on critical infrastructure. Laws and regulatory oversight cover security protections, reporting, and data usage. Your compliance officer is responsible for knowing which ones apply depending on where your company operates, what products you offer, and the customers you serve. This list includes regulatory entities that govern manufacturing as well as guidelines from the government that are voluntary - for now:

REGULATORY ENTITIES AND GUIDELINES

Cybersecurity Maturity Model Certification (CMMC) is a unified cybersecurity standard developed by the Department of Defense (DoD) to enhance the protection of sensitive unclassified information within the defense industrial base. It provides a framework of cybersecurity best practices and processes that defense contractors and subcontractors must implement to ensure appropriate levels of cybersecurity practices and processes are in place. CMMC applies to any federal contractor, including over 300,000 companies in the supply chain.

Network and Information Security Directive 2.0 (NIS 2.0) and Critical Entities Resilience (CER) The NIS 2.0 is a proposed EU directive that aims to enhance cybersecurity requirements and incident reporting across more sectors by replacing and expanding the original NIS Directive from 2016. The CER directive works in tandem with NIS 2.0 to establish rules for enhancing the resilience of critical entities operating within the EU across 10 sectors, including energy, transport, banking, digital infrastructure, public administration and space. These directives classify certain manufacturing industries as essential entities, requiring them to manage their security risks and prevent or minimize the impact of incidents on recipients of their services.

Cybersecurity & Infrastructure Security Agency (CISA) is a US federal agency working with partners to defend against today's threats and collaborating to build more secure and resilient infrastructure for the future, which includes the manufacturing sector designated as one of the 16 critical infrastructure sectors. CISA provides the manufacturing sector with cybersecurity tools, incident response services, and trusted cybersecurity practices to protect facilities, networks, and operational technologies like industrial control systems.

In the European Union, a new legislative proposal, the Cyber Resilience Act (CRA), aims to establish common cybersecurity rules for digital products and services sold across the EU single market. It will set horizontal cybersecurity requirements for manufacturers to ensure their products are more secure and require mandatory vulnerability handling and incident reporting processes.

Sarbanes-Oxley Act (SOX) was implemented to reform company reporting and internal controls and includes requirements for financial disclosures, data secrecy compliance reporting, and public disclosures in the event of a data breach.

General Data Protection Regulation (GDPR) is a regulation in EU law on data protection and privacy that went into effect in 2018. It aims to give individuals more control over their personal data while imposing strict rules on organizations that collect and process personal data, including requirements for data protection by design and default.

U.S. State Laws: Two examples are the New York DFS Cybersecurity Regulation and the California Consumer Privacy Act. Other U.S. states have adopted similar rules.

Whether you have a full-time compliance officer or compliance is yet another hat worn by someone in your organization, there's a lot you can do to make their life easier. A comprehensive security operations platform like Blumira can be set to continually gather the data needed to respond to regular audits or last-minute requests for information. Reports can be pre-formatted, scheduled, and automatically delivered to your compliance officer. And near-instant threat detection helps you comply with notification requirements in case of a suspected breach. Simplifying cybersecurity compliance saves time and headaches for everyone involved, so they can focus on other important work.

9. Mitigate third-party and supply chain risk

As they say, a chain is only as strong as its weakest link. You scrutinize vendors and partners for their commitment to quality, the consistency of their materials, and their reputation for service delivery. You also need to scrutinize them for their cybersecurity maturity because each additional third party has the potential to introduce vulnerabilities to your environment. Your vetting should cover these issues:

Require security assessments - Conduct a comprehensive security assessment or request proof that each vendor has undergone a recent assessment or audit by a reputable firm against an industry-accepted information security standard or framework such as ISO27001 or SOC 2. The rigor of the assessments should be proportional to the vendor's data and systems access as well as how critical their services are to your operations. Ensure critical vendors and partners are assessed annually as well as before implementation or integration.

Write careful contracts - Vendor agreements should include clear and specific language - with consequences spelled out - on cybersecurity and data privacy commitments, including the vendor's responsibilities in case of a breach or customer impacting security incident.

Verify compliance - Vendors serving the manufacturing industry should be aware of laws and regulations related to your specific sector. Be sure to establish a schedule for verifying compliance for vendors with ongoing contracts.

Have an exit strategy - Think ahead about what you need to do if you have to terminate a vendor relationship. Your exit strategy should minimize risk and exposure. This includes ensuring the safe return of all data and assets, removing access to systems, and documenting any issues that could become relevant later.

10. Involve employees

Since the human element - mistakes, deception, manipulation, and misunderstanding - remains the primary contributor to cybersecurity incidents, employee education is a vital component of a holistic cybersecurity and risk management strategy. You can establish a security culture that's recognized all the way to the factory floor by implementing multiple strategies, including:

Leadership modeling - Set the tone at the top. Executives and managers complete training first, reference security in staff meetings and reviews, include security metrics in goals, and praise near-miss reporting. Protect time for patch windows, drills, and training so teams know this work is a priority.

Onboarding - Provide comprehensive cybersecurity awareness training for all personnel involved with ICS to build a strong security culture and reduce human-related risks. While new employees may not retain a lot of details from the information they're inundated with on day one, they should at least take away an understanding of how important security is to your organization. Follow up onboarding with more specific information to reinforce the message.

Annual training modules - Some regulations stipulate that employees in certain jobs take required training on an annual basis. Be sure your HR department is tracking who is completing the training.

Team meetings and lunch-and-learns - A regular schedule of short information sessions helps managers remind employees about security, and they can customize the lessons to meet the needs of their specific department.

Real-world scenarios - Hands-on practice can be fun and much more memorable. Challenge employees to figure out the tell-tale signs of a phishing email or fake website.

Ongoing communications - Single-topic security messages should be included in regular employee communications like newsletters, Slack channels, and even breakroom posters. Signs at critical access points will remind employees that physical security is part of cybersecurity.

Employee training and communication should include clear instructions on how anyone can report suspicious activity. Some employees may feel hesitant or embarrassed to say something if they're unsure of the seriousness of what they're seeing. Employees may also feel shame for making a security mistake. This is exactly what cybercriminals rely on. Part of creating a security culture is making sure everyone feels empowered and safe to report a potential security concern and has an easy way to do so.

11. Support your IT team

No need to remind you how hard it is to hire and retain qualified team members, especially those willing to endure the stress and uncertainty of incoming cyber threats. It's easier to motivate people in an environment where they have modern tools, information, and support that allows them to excel. Blumira is designed for those people, making it easy to monitor your environment, produce insightful reports, and quickly react to threats. 

Automation and prioritized alerts let your team focus on other important work since the average user spends less than 30 minutes in-platform per week. Blumira users are supported with step-by-step playbooks that take the guesswork out of incident response. They can also call for guidance from Blumira experts who are up to date on the latest threats.

"Our IT help desk employee is in charge of monitoring Blumira. Without requiring a ton of experience, Blumira's platform provides very simplified language and built-in workflows that help him also learn about security as he uses the product. It's not overloading him with alerts and he doesn't need to sift through hundreds of thousands of logs." -- Jim Paolicelli, IT Director, Atlantic Constructors

12. Communication makes all the difference

Incidents will happen, but disruption doesn't have to! How you respond can make all the difference in how your customers, partners, stakeholders, and community will view your organization. 

Document communication scenarios as part of your cybersecurity planning process. Rehearse these processes and frequently revise them to accommodate changes in your network, team, or the threat landscape. You can get guidance on communication planning in the NIST CSF, including resources in incident response planning, response communications, and recovery communications. 

Creating a culture of open communication is crucial. Employees should feel empowered and safe to report potential security concerns without fear of repercussions. Encourage employees to speak up if they notice suspicious activity or if they believe they may have made a security mistake. 

Provide clear instructions on how to report these incidents and ensure that the reporting process is simple and accessible. By fostering a culture of open communication, you can leverage the collective vigilance of your entire workforce to identify and mitigate potential threats.

A holistic, risk-informed cybersecurity strategy allows you to be proactive rather than reactive in the face of cyber threats. It means you're always looking ahead to the next opportunity to evolve your security posture. The Blumira security operations platform is a core cybersecurity component for small and medium-sized manufacturing firms.

24/7 Vigilance with Blumira Security Operations Platform

Choosing a comprehensive cybersecurity platform should never be taken lightly. As you compare Blumira to other solutions, here are some factors you'll want to consider:

Easy setup - Getting started should happen in a day, not weeks. With Blumira you can be up and running quickly and you don't have to hire an expensive consulting team to make it work for you.

Easy to use - Multiple members of your team can learn how to navigate Blumira, understand the alerts, and follow response playbooks.

Advanced detection and response - Some platforms only detect endpoint threats. Blumira provides comprehensive coverage and includes multiple integrations.

Focused alerts - Watch out for solutions that alert you to every single ping. Excess noise creates alert fatigue, slowing response and making true positives harder to spot. Blumira consolidates and prioritizes detections, suppresses low-value noise with tuning, and escalates high-risk events to your team.

Unique features - Ask about features like Blumira honeypots that act as decoys, setting a trap for infiltrators. Alerts from honeypots have high confidence since they only attract unauthorized access attempts.

Expert support - Be sure the people behind the product are cybersecurity experts, and available when you need them. Blumira becomes an extension of your team with access to solution architects, security operations, incident detection, and technical support.

Time-saving automation - A solution isn't a solution if you're still doing all the work. Blumira automated response make your life easier, even blocking threats while you're getting a good night's sleep.

Logging and reporting - Financial services compliance frameworks require you to retain logs for specified periods of time. Blumira's security operations platform stores unlimited log ingestion for at least one year. It also includes standard reports and support for designing custom reports that meet specific needs.

Blumira is easy to set up and use, and it includes robust features that help you and your team save time and comply with regulations. As you build out your cybersecurity plan, let us know how we can help.

You should feel secure in your security investment, and have confidence it will meet the needs of your business before making a decision. Get started by  contacting an account specialist to find out if Blumira is the right fit for your business with a free 30-day trial.