How manufacturing cyber risks threaten critical infrastructure. By Javvad Malik 

Manufacturing isn’t a lonely factory sitting in the middle of nowhere, churning out widgets in isolation. It’s more like the world’s busiest airport terminal, with connections flying everywhere: energy, transport, tech, you name it. Think of it as the Kevin Bacon of industrial sectors – connected to pretty much everything through six degrees of supply chain. This interconnectivity is something that was noted in a recent report from KnowBe4. 

However, the alarming truth is that, while manufacturing has remained the most targeted industry for cyberattacks for four consecutive years, accounting for 26 percent of all reported incidents across sectors, manufacturing is not just the target. There is the potential for threat actors to use manufacturing as a soft entry point, making it a conduit, capable of carrying cyber threats into critical national infrastructure (CNI). 

A shared vulnerability across sectors 

Digital transformation in manufacturing, otherwise known as Industry 4.0, has created enormous improvements in efficiency and automation, with manufacturers now relying heavily on third-party software, cloud platforms, and automated logistics systems to keep operations…