How To Protect Your Business From Cyberattack

Cyberattacks are a growing threat in the manufacturing sector. In 2024, 65 percent of polled manufacturers reported ransomware incidents—a 41 percent increase since 2020. While large companies often get the headlines when cyberattacks occur, most attacks target small businesses, which are less equipped to fend off attacks or recover afterward.
According to Veeam’s 2023 Data Protection Trends Report, 85 percent of ransomware attacks target small businesses. Sophos News reports that the average cost of recovering from such attacks was $1.67 million in 2024, a sum few small manufacturers can afford.

“The consequences of small business ransomware attacks are severe,” says Colin Hanks, a product marketing manager, in a recent Veeam blog. “Most small businesses can’t operate during a ransomware attack. Many also don’t have an incident response plan, and of those that did, nearly a third hadn’t tested their plans in six months.” 

A high percentage of small businesses also report having to pay the ransom to regain access to their data. According to Hanks, the “high cost of recovering data along with business interruption costs means that up to 60 percent of small businesses fail after a successful cyberattack.”

As alarming as this is, many small manufacturers still mistakenly believe they’re “too small” for hackers to bother with. Cybercriminals are all too eager to take advantage of this lack of preparation.

CybelAngel (cyberangel.com), an organization dedicated to protecting businesses by surfacing unknown exposures and securing critical threats, points to six key reasons manufacturing has become such a prime target. Many of these problems stem for the rise in Internet use as businesses move more operations online to save time and money. Doing so, however, creates more gateways that bad actors can exploit to access sensitive information.

Fortunately, these common weaknesses point to the set of solutions needed to safeguard against a cyberattack no matter the size of your business.

Here are some of the common cybersecurity challenges small manufacturers face and the ways you can guard against cyberattacks.

Problem: Lack of Education and Fear of Retribution

Many cyberattacks are avoidable if your employees are aware of what the latest threats are and what procedures to follow if they suspect a breach. What’s unfortunate is that some employees may not report incidents for fear of retribution.
Solution: Stay abreast of the latest cyber threats and meet with your staff regularly to ensure they know what to look for (and avoid). To help you get started, the National Shooting Sports Foundation offers a great webinar (Security is Everyone’s Business) to help you drive a more security-ready culture.

To make security awareness work, however, employees must feel comfortable about raising a hand if they think they may have clicked a bad link or opened a malicious file. Creating a company culture that encourages people to speak up is the best first step you can take to avoid problems that if left unreported can cause even greater harm (and be far more costly) down the line.

Problem: Email is the Major Attack Vector

Solution: Protecting email accounts communications from unauthorized access, loss, or compromise is critical. Most network breaches are unsophisticated. Industry Week reports that in the U.S., “42 percent of cyberattacks observed last year were caused by cybercriminals simply logging into enterprise environments through valid accounts.”
In most cases, bad actors access the right credentials by stealing passwords from various applications, from web browsers where people store their passwords, or through phishing.
Using strong passwords that are changed regularly and implementing multi-factor authentication (MFA) codes will go a long way toward thwarting hackers. Segmenting your network will also help. This way, if one area of your network is breached, other areas can be shut down until the breach is alleviated.

Problem: Sharing Files That Contain Sensitive Information

While file sharing is part of normal manufacturing operations, doing so without proper security protocols increases the risk of losing valuable intellectual property to theft.
With the rise in Internet use, employees may be downloading all kinds of files. If those files are dropped straight onto your network without first being scanned for malware and sanitized, you are opening the door to a cyberattack. The same goes for files that may come into your business via email. Manufacturers need to take precautions to ensure files from all external sources are sanitized before reaching their network. 

Solution: File-transfer solutions can deliver automated, secure file transfers and centralized control to manage file engagement between internal and external users. These solutions are designed to safeguard both IT networks, which focus on managing data and applications, and OT networks that control physical processes and equipment.
To avoid email-borne attacks, Opswat (opswat.com) provides advanced protection against phishing, malware, and exploits that can bypass traditional email security defenses. This software automatically scans and sanitizes email attachments to keep your network secure. Education and security policy changes alone, however, are not the only safeguards manufacturers need to consider. Physically protecting your network is equally important.

Problem: Outdated Industrial Control Systems

Control systems and associated instrumentation (devices, systems, networks, and controls) used to operate and/or automate industrial processes must be protected. If proper security measures are not in place, this critical infrastructure can easily be exploited.

Solution: Updating technology takes investment, but old systems may lack the security-authentication features needed to prevent a cyberattack.
If you don’t know where to start, there are a number of expert cybersecurity firms, such as eSecurity Planet (esecurityplanet.com), you can call on to evaluate your current systems and make appropriate recommendations to bolster your network security. Investing now to know where your weak spots are will save you far more money in the long run than trying to recover from a costly data breach.

Problem: Networks and Databases Are Not Secure

Beefing up network security and protecting valuable data isn’t as difficult as it may seem. Here are some simple ways to do so right now.

Check firewalls: Protect your networks by setting up firewalls and encrypting information. This will help minimize the risk of cyber criminals gaining access to confidential information. Update software: Using old software versions opens the door to being exploited. Always use the most recent software versions to ensure the latest security measures are operating across the system.

Hide the Wi-Fi: Make sure your Wi-Fi network is hidden and the password is protected.
Separate data storage: Be selective about the information stored in your company databases. Having a central location for storing data and documents can be a big help, but this doesn’t mean you have to place all of your information there. Storing the crown jewels of your data on-site within your normal working network leaves you exposed. Think about storing your most sensitive information off-site and make sure you back it up. 

Back up regularly: Backing up company data should be done either once a day or once a week, depending on the level of activity within your company. This will increase the likelihood that in the event of a cyberattack, your company’s data will not be lost completely, which is all too common.

Problem: Vendors Introducing Malware During a System Update

Manufacturers using any kind of computerized machinery that requires regular software updates from an outside vendor can be very vulnerable to a malware attack from service reps who plug removable media (thumb drive, CD-ROM, or laptop) into your system to provide a software patch.

Solution: Technology exists that can search various types of removable media for malware before those devices access your system. The vendor simply plugs their thumb drive or laptop into a device, such as the MetaDefender Kiosk from Opswat. The plug-in searched, and then it can be given a green light to proceed if no malware is detected. Kiosks are available in a variety of configurations—tower, desktop, mobile, app—to fit any manufacturing scenario.

Problem: You’re Doing Everything You Can, But Your Partners Are Not

Today’s supply chains are complex. You may be receiving goods and services from out-of-state or overseas partners. This provides opportunities for hackers to access your network at any point along the supply chain. In fact, vendors you’re working with may have been breached previously and not even know it. If so, they may have malware hiding inside their systems that can be transferred to your network unless proper precautions are taken.

Solution: Protecting yourself from vulnerabilities introduced by business connections upstream in your supply chain and downstream among distributers begins with understanding everyone you’re doing business with and who they are connected to. To get the full picture, manufacturers may want to consider a decision intelligence platform (quantexa.com) which utilizes artificial intelligence to automate and augment decision-making by providing a complete, 360-degree view of customers and their counterparties.

Problem: No Incident Response Plan in Place

Many organizations have not developed a response plan if they’re suddenly attacked. Dealing with a breach after the fact may be too late.

Solution: Create an Incident Response Plan, which establishes guidelines for what to do if you confirm or suspect a security incident has occurred. This plan should be in writing, reviewed regularly with employees, and clearly delineate the roles and responsibilities of the most important members on your team if you’re attacked.
This document should also include a list of key people to turn to during a cybersecurity crisis. Make sure your entire organization understands the plan and practice mock attacks every six months to stress test your response.

Need More Information?
The Cybersecurity & Infrastructure Security Agency (cisa.gov) is an excellent resource. They provide a wide range of resources and tools including free cyber services. They can also point you to the regional office that’s closest to you for additional help.

Making your manufacturing facility cyber-secure doesn’t happen overnight. Reinforcing cybersecurity takes time and investment, but taking your first step today to evaluate your security profile will begin the process of protecting your organization against a potential attack. And it just might save your business.