How AI Cyberattacks Expose Resilience Gaps in Manufacturing

As manufacturers embrace AI and automation to streamline operations, the complexities within the cyber threat landscape have intensified.

LevelBlue's 2025 Spotlight Report on Cyber Resilience and Business Impact in Manufacturing underscores a significant divide between the increasing cyber threats and the industry's readiness, prompting a strategic focus on cyber resilience.

Challenges from emerging cyber threats

The report, informed by a survey of 220 manufacturing leaders, forecasts a rise in AI-driven cyberattacks with new, sophisticated threat vectors challenging the sector this year.

Notably, 44% of executives anticipate AI-enhanced attacks, yet just 32% feel prepared to counteract them effectively.

Additionally, 47% of leaders foresee a rise in deepfake and synthetic identity threats, though readiness lags at 30%.

Distributed denial of service (DDoS) attacks, exacerbated by geopolitical tensions and vulnerable IoT devices, remain a persistent concern, with only 37% of respondents expressing preparedness. Data privacy remains paramount for 55%, who view it as their principal challenge.

Visibility into software supply chains is reported as low to moderate by 54%, with merely 26% of firms actively engaging with software vendors on security verification.

These vulnerabilities heighten the potential for supply chain breaches, which could have expansive impacts on manufacturing ecosystems.

Nurturing a cybersecurity culture

Manufacturers are responding by integrating a cybersecurity-conscious culture that aligns with core business strategies.

“Cyber resilience is no longer optional – it’s becoming a strategic imperative for manufacturers in order to main customer and supply chain trust,” LevelBlue’s Chief Security & Trust Officer Kory Daniels says in the report. 

“While it’s encouraging to see increased alignment between cybersecurity initiatives and business goals, the data shows that many organisations still face critical gaps in alignment.

“Corporate executive alignment and a proactive, adaptive approach are essential to staying ahead of rapidly evolving threats.”

The alignment of cybersecurity efforts with business objectives is encouraging, although the report finds that many organisations face challenges in completely aligning these goals.

Corporate alignment and a proactive approach are deemed crucial in countering rapidly evolving threats.

Currently, 65% of organisations hold leadership accountable through specific cybersecurity key performance indicators (KPIs) and 70% educate employees on social engineering threats.

LevelBlue highlights these practices as crucial defences against increasing AI-augmented phishing attempts.

Additionally, 55% incorporate cybersecurity funding into new projects, considering resilience foundational for innovation.

A further 69% express that adaptability in cybersecurity methods allows for greater innovation risk.

Despite these advancements, only 34% have made substantial investments in Zero Trust Architecture.

This approach, which involved continually verifying identities and swiftly responding to threats, is vital in a rapidly shifting threat landscape.

“AI-powered criminals are launching more frequent and sophisticated attacks than those not using AI,” Kory told our sister publication, Technology Magazine.

“Our data shows that only 32% of manufacturing firms feel equipped to defend against these threats and criminals are still in the early stages of adopting AI. 

“Fortunately, cyber resilience is becoming a boardroom priority, with more than half of executives allocating cybersecurity budgets at the start of new projects. 

“As a top target for today’s cyber criminals, manufacturing organisations can’t afford any delays.”

Strengthening factory cyber resilience

To bolster resilience, LevelBlue advises four strategic actions for manufacturers.

These steps are intended to protect assets while fostering innovation.

With cyber attackers increasingly leveraging AI for ransomware, deepfakes and to exploit complex supply chains, manufacturers face critical decisions at this juncture.

This begins with aligning cyber-resilience perspectives with strategic business decisions, enhancing proactivity and strengthening the resilience of software supply chains.

Kory adds: “To effectively safeguard security without stifling innovation, cyber resilience must continue to become embedded in the business even further. 

“That starts with aligning cyber-resilience considerations with business decisions from the top down, encouraging proactivity and strengthening software supply chain resilience.”