Cyber Security for Manufacturing: The Biggest Risks Facing UK Manufacturers
Manufacturing, like many other industries, is becoming increasingly digital. From connected machinery and ERP systems to remote access and supply chain integration, technology is helping manufacturers drive efficiency, productivity and growth. However, these advancements also create new opportunities for cyber criminals.
Around 612,000 UK businesses have been impacted by a cyber-attack in 2026 so far, demonstrating that cyber criminals are not targeting specific industries alone. Instead, they focus on organisations they believe present the best opportunity to gain access. The consequences can be significant, and many businesses have already felt the effects.
Cyber security for manufacturing is no longer simply an IT concern. A successful cyber-attack can disrupt production, impact supply chains, damage customer confidence and result in costly operational downtime.
With a wide range of cost-effective solutions available, investing in cyber security makes sound business sense for manufacturers of all sizes.
In this article, we'll explore some of the most common cyber security challenges facing the manufacturing sector, the risks they present, and the practical steps
Why Manufacturing Has Become a Prime Target for Cyber Criminals
According to a report from Make UK, 30% of UK manufacturing businesses have experienced a recent cyber incident of some form. As we touched on earlier, the knock-on effects of a cyber-attack on a manufacturing business are serious and go far beyond simply an IT breach.
Operational downtime is expensive and can lead to businesses failing to fulfil orders on time, resulting in a loss of business. Perhaps surprisingly, 74% of UK manufacturing and engineering firms still rely on old systems (known as legacy software).
This software is easier to breach and presents increased opportunities for un-fussy and relentless cyber criminals.
The Most Common Cyber Security Risks Facing Manufacturers
Phishing and Social Engineering
Social Engineering is responsible for 90% of successful cyber-attacks – a staggering amount and clearly demonstrates where manufacturers must focus. Social engineering relies on human error or weaknesses rather than faulty systems and whilst human error will always be prevalent in any industry, businesses can take steps to reduce human error by implementing software such as usecure.
This software helps train employees to be aware of cyber-attacks and is a cost-effective solution that can save your business. We’re currently offering a four-week free trial on this software, which you can access here.
Amongst our client base, we have seen an increased number of phishing attempts through the form of fake invoices and fake payslips. The particularly sneaky aspect is that these emails will typically be sent around pay day, often catching unsuspecting employees out. We recommend you make staff aware of basic phishing characteristics and implement processes, such as usecure, to limit successful attempts.
Top Tip: If there is any form of ‘urgent’ language used throughout the email, focusing on a time limit and you must provide this detail by this time, it’s likely a phishing attempt – particularly if the email is from your boss who is sat next to you.
Ransomware
This is a type of malicious software that locks, encrypts or threatens to leak an individual’s personal data unless a ransom is paid. Typically, businesses and Government organisations are targets here.
Hackers will search for valuable files, lock them with an encryption key and then demand a ransom. It’s not a situation anyone likes to find themselves in. For manufacturers, this will lead to potential loss of files, production shutdown and any associated recovery costs.
Weak Passwords
It is 2026 and people still use 123456. In fact, according to NordPass, ‘123456’ is the most common password as of right now (you can read the full list here.)
If you’re reading this right now and have this as one of your passwords, head to change it now. Don’t let a simple password cause you a mountain of trouble.
Just the 4.2 billion passwords were breached in 2023, whilst we don’t have figures yet for 2026, it still highlights how popular a target this is for cyber criminals.
We recommend using a strong password generator to make it as difficult as possible for these criminals.
Having multi-factor authentication (known as MFA) in place is highly recommended for enhancing security, particularly in manufacturing where there may be critical operations continuously ongoing. MFA is a simple yet extremely effective method of preventing cyber criminals attempts to disrupt your business operations.
In manufacturing environments, compromised credentials can provide access to critical operational systems, making strong passwords and MFA particularly important.
Legacy Systems and Unsupported Software
Around 74% of UK manufacturing businesses are still relying on legacy systems. That means that around 74% of UK manufacturing businesses are leaving themselves potentially exposed with under-protected systems.
Where replacing legacy systems isn’t immediately practical, manufacturers should focus on reducing risk through a layered approach to cyber security. This includes implementing multi-factor authentication, segmenting networks, maintaining regular backups, monitoring for suspicious activity, and providing ongoing security awareness training for employees.
Solutions such as CyberGuard, Huntress and usecure can play an important role in strengthening security around legacy environments by providing threat detection, vulnerability management and user awareness training. This helps ensure that organisations remain protected while planning longer-term infrastructure upgrades or digital transformation projects.
The Real Cost of a Cyber Attack in Manufacturing
Recent high profile cyber-attacks on the likes of ASOS have perhaps heightened the focus on cyber security. We have seen here that the real cost of a cyber-attack is not limited to just in-house business impact, it stretches to external reputation damage as well. For example, on the day the cyber-attack hit ASOS, their share price fell 13%. Whilst it’s too soon to tell if their profits will be impacted, it does give you an indication into public perception towards the business after this event.
For manufacturing businesses there is another angle they need to focus on – production downtime. If you (a manufacturing business) experience a cyber-attack that results in your production slowing down or even worse, stopping completely, then there may be a situation where you are unable to fulfil orders, resulting in industry reputation damage, loss of income, loss of clients and, likely, your competitors gaining business from you. None of this is anything any business owner wants to experience, and it highlights the necessity to take cyber security seriously.
In today’s manufacturing environment, cyber incidents rarely affect just one organisation. Many manufacturers form part of complex supply chains, meaning a cyber-attack can have a knock-on effect on suppliers, partners and customers. Increasingly, organisations are asking suppliers to demonstrate their cyber security credentials before awarding contracts, making strong cyber security not only a risk management measure but also a competitive advantage.
Businesses that can evidence good cyber security practices are often better positioned to maintain customer confidence and secure new opportunities.
Practical Steps Manufacturers Can Take to Improve Cyber Security
No organisation can eliminate cyber risk entirely, but there are practical steps manufacturers can take to significantly reduce their exposure. By combining the right technology, processes and employee awareness, businesses can strengthen their cyber security posture, improve resilience and better protect critical manufacturing systems from evolving threats.
Effective cyber security for manufacturing is about more than preventing attacks. It is about ensuring production can continue, protecting valuable business and customer data, and minimising the risk of operational disruption. The following measures provide a strong foundation for protecting critical systems, data and day-to-day operations.
Multi-Factor Authentication
We’ve already touched on the benefits of MFA in this article. Passwords can be guessed, stolen or reused and MFA adds a second layer of security which is particularly important for email accounts, Microsoft 365 and remote access systems.
It truly is one of the simplest and most effective security improvements a business can make.
Keep Systems Updated
Cyber criminals will often target systems they know are vulnerable – it’s an easier way in for them. Software updates, which will often appear on your screen prompting you to install, are worthwhile doing as they help tighten the security.
Our advice here – don’t wait for something to break before installing the software update, do it as soon as possible.
This is particularly relevant for manufacturers operating production equipment, warehouse systems and business-critical applications that support day-to-day operations.
Train Your Employees Regularly
Your employees are your first line of defence and have a big part to play in your approach to cyber security. You can assist here by implementing systems such as usecure, which will naturally train your employees and provide you with critical data on what security gaps you have. You can do all this with a no-obligation, four-week free trial as well. Contact us here to do this.
Reminder – technology alone cannot stop every threat; employee awareness remains essential.
This is especially important in manufacturing organisations where employees may interact with suppliers, logistics partners and production systems on a daily basis.
Monitor for Threats
On some occasions, threats can go undetected for weeks or months. Continuous monitoring through platforms such as huntress helps spot this suspicious activity earlier and eliminate it.
Huntress Managed Security Platform combines powerful security technology with a 24/7 Security Operations Centre (SOC), helping detect, investigate and respond to threats around the clock.
We deliver Huntress as part of a proactive approach to cyber security, giving your business access to enterprise-grade protection and specialist security expertise without the need to build and manage your own security team.
Early detection can help prevent threats from spreading across production, warehouse and office environments.
As part of our approach to benefit businesses across the country, we’re offering a four-week free trial here as well. Follow this link to activate.
Achieve Cyber Essentials Certification
For many manufacturers, Cyber Essentials provides a practical starting point for improving cyber security and demonstrating good security practices to customers and stakeholders.
Crucially, we have seen how this can be a unique selling point for manufacturing businesses looking to secure new work.
This recognised baseline of protection is becoming increasingly important for partners and public sector organisations. We’re proud to have assisted many organisations in achieving this certification.
In addition, Cyber Essentials Plus provides a more rigorous level involving independent technical verification.
You can find out more on Cyber Essentials and Cyber Essentials Plus here.
Whilst no single solution will eliminate cyber risk entirely. By combining strong technical controls, employee training, regular monitoring and recognised security standards, manufacturers can significantly reduce their exposure to cyber threats whilst improving business and operational resilience.
Is Cyber Essentials Worth It for Manufacturers?
Cyber Essentials provides manufacturers with a recognised framework for implementing fundamental cyber security controls and reducing exposure to common threats.
Importantly, it shows external parties that you have basic security measures in place, providing reassurance to customers, suppliers and stakeholders.
It helps establish a strong baseline of best practice within cyber security.
In a nutshell – you improve your cyber security posture (an absolute must in modern day manufacturing). You also make yourself a more attractive prospect to potential customers and investors.
Put yourself in the customer’s shoes – you’re 50/50 between working with two companies, one has demonstrated a clear focus on cyber security, one has no interest in it. This is likely the deciding factor in you winning a contract or not.
For many manufacturers, Cyber Essentials has, quite rightly, become as much a commercial consideration as a security one.
Building a Stronger Cyber Security Strategy for Manufacturing
As cyber threats continue to evolve, manufacturers face increasing pressure to protect their systems, data and operations from disruption.
Effective cyber security for manufacturing has never been more important. The sector remains a key target for cyber criminals due to its reliance on technology, the volume of valuable data it holds and the potentially significant costs associated with production downtime, operational disruption and supply chain delays.
A key takeaway from this blog: prevention is cheaper than recovery.
Investing in preventative measures today like usecure, Huntress or CyberGuard is significantly less costly than dealing with the financial and operational consequences of a cyber incident. Installing multi-factor authentication, completing updates, employee awareness training, regular monitoring and Cyber Essentials are all easy processes to implement that make a hugely positive difference.
The good news is that improving cyber security does not have to happen overnight. By taking practical, incremental steps, manufacturers can significantly reduce risk whilst building long-term resilience.
Looking to strengthen your approach to cyber security within your manufacturing business? Speak to KubeNet about Cyber Essentials, managed cyber security services and practical ways to reduce risk.
Chat to our team with no-obligation here.
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