Issue link: https://insights.oneneck.com/i/1491443
The growing impact on manufacturing The impact of ransomware-triggered shutdowns of manufacturing facili es jeopardizes business, customer, and supplier data and dras cally impacts the ability to run the complex, interconnected systems that produce their goods. The effect is profound on the vic m organiza ons, especially in the first year following the a ack. The las ng adverse effects can drain revenue and extend far beyond just monetary loss, o en resul ng in a loss of customer and supplier confidence and trust, harmful exposure, and poten al liabili es and lawsuits. Accelera ng cybera acks. Manufacturers must defend against an unbelievably high number of cybera acks expected to reach an a ack every 11 seconds. 3 IT teams can no longer handle the incoming threats without automa on and an AI-based cybersecurity posture as volume of a acks surge. High payouts. It is not surprising that the more sensi ve the data, the higher the price tag. It is es mated that ransomware payouts are expected to reach $265B by 2031. 4 For complex industries like manufacturing, the loss of intellectual property and system func onality can grind opera ons to a halt. Costly down mes. Manufacturing disrup ons of any kind are expensive and can impact organiza ons with stretched IT resources beyond their limits. Ransomware a acks shake the founda on of an organiza on and raise doubts about its ability to create quality goods in a mely manner. Malicious a acks also expose manufacturers to poten ally costly liabili es and harmful exposure. Ransomware a acks cost organiza ons on average $4.35M per breach in 2022. 5 That's not including the ransom demand and payment itself. Failure to comply. Many regula ons govern the manufacturing industry's opera ons, handling of customer and supplier data, privacy protec on, repor ng, and many more. A cybera ack could expose organiza ons to poten al failure to meet regulatory compliance requirements, causing costly and lengthy distrac ng audits and repor ng. Reputa on damage. In the a ermath of a ransomware a ack, a manufacturer's reputa on can be irretrievably harmed, with customers and suppliers losing trust and taking on a nega ve view of the organiza on's brand and produc on ability. 4