The 2016 Manufacturing Report by Sikich finds that there has been a progressive growth in cyber-attacks in the manufacturing sector. This is consistent with the most recent IBM/X-Force Research 2016 Cyber Security Intelligence Index, which notes that the manufacturing industry represents the second most attacked industry, just behind health care.
Manufacturing companies often don’t believe that they are targets because they do not hold vast amounts of consumer data. Therefore, they do not concentrate on cybersecurity and remain vulnerable. These two reports show that the risk of a cyber-attack is high and real to the manufacturing sector.
According to the Sikich report, the risks to the manufacturing sector include the following:
- operational downtime
- physical damage
- product manipulation
- theft of intellectual property and sensitive data
These reports are a dose of reality to the manufacturing sector that it is under attack, and the threats and risks of cyber intrusions are real and are not dissipating. Addressing these risks and the potential devastating consequences is critical for any company in the manufacturing sector.
This post is also being shared on our Manufacturing Law Blog. If you’re interested in getting updates on developments affecting manufacturers and distributors, we invite you to subscribe to the blog.