Industries We Serve
OT/IT network convergence, legacy ICS and SCADA systems that cannot be patched, and ransomware operators who specifically target production disruption create a threat environment that generic IT security programs are not designed to address.
The Risk Landscape
The convergence of operational technology and information technology — driven by IoT connectivity, remote monitoring, ERP integration, and cloud-connected production systems — has expanded the manufacturing attack surface to include equipment that was never designed to be internet-connected and runs software that cannot be updated. Industrial control systems operate on decades-old protocols designed for reliability, not security.
Ransomware operators have identified that manufacturing organizations face maximum pressure to pay when production stops — and they've adapted accordingly. Nation-state actors target manufacturing for IP and competitive intelligence. Both threat categories require a security program that understands what OT assets exist, how they're connected to IT systems, and what controls are actually in place — not what policies document.
average time for an attacker to move from initial access to lateral movement in 2024 — manufacturing OT environments with flat network architectures provide minimal resistance once an IT foothold is established. CrowdStrike 2025 Global Threat Report
average cost of a data breach in 2024 — manufacturing incidents increasingly involve both data exfiltration and operational disruption, making recovery costs significantly higher than traditional IT-only breach scenarios. IBM Cost of a Data Breach Report 2024
Industrial control systems running legacy protocols — Modbus, DNP3, OPC — were designed for reliability in isolated environments. Connected to IT networks, they become attack pathways without network segmentation and compensating controls.
Sector-Specific Challenges
Modern manufacturing environments connect operational technology (OT) — PLCs, SCADA systems, HMIs — to IT networks for monitoring, ERP integration, and remote access. That connectivity creates pathways between systems designed for reliability, not security. Proper segmentation between OT and IT is the foundational control that most manufacturing environments have never formally implemented.
Talk to DOYB about thisIndustrial control systems are frequently running software and firmware that cannot be patched without vendor-coordinated maintenance windows — or at all, for legacy systems past end-of-support. These systems often directly control production equipment, making compensating controls and network isolation the primary risk management approach.
Talk to DOYB about thisRansomware operators have shifted strategy from data exfiltration to operational disruption — because stopping a production line creates more payment pressure than encrypting office documents. Manufacturing ransomware incidents routinely result in multi-day or multi-week production shutdowns with recovery costs that far exceed the ransom demand.
Talk to DOYB about thisManufacturing organizations hold proprietary processes, formulations, designs, and customer specifications that represent competitive advantage built over decades. Nation-state threat actors and industrial competitors specifically target manufacturing IP — and the exfiltration of trade secrets rarely triggers the same immediate response as a visible ransomware event.
Talk to DOYB about thisAI in Manufacturing
AI adoption in manufacturing — predictive maintenance, quality inspection automation, production optimization, supply chain forecasting — increasingly involves AI systems with direct access to production data and, in some cases, direct integration with production control systems. An AI system that monitors and adjusts production parameters is an OT security concern, not just an IT governance question.
AI vendors with access to production data, proprietary process parameters, or formulations require security assessments equivalent to any other third party with sensitive system access. The IP theft risk associated with AI system compromise is particularly acute in manufacturing, where competitive advantage lives in process knowledge that took decades to develop.
AI in industrial environments requires OT-aware governance
Manufacturing organizations adopting AI tools benefit from an AI Readiness assessment that evaluates AI governance requirements in the context of both IT and OT environments — addressing IP protection, vendor access controls, and integration security together.
Relevant Services
Managed detection and response that accounts for both IT and OT environments — built around the actual network architecture of manufacturing facilities and the threat actors that specifically target industrial operations.
Learn moreOT/IT segmentation design and implementation — establishing the network boundaries that prevent IT-side compromises from reaching production floor systems and ICS/SCADA infrastructure.
Learn moreRecovery capability for manufacturing environments where downtime has direct production consequences — tested backup and failover procedures for both IT systems and the configurations that drive production operations.
Learn moreRecommended for Manufacturing & Industrial
The Ascend Cyber assessment is structured around the compliance, operational, and security challenges specific to your sector — not a generic checklist. You leave with a documented risk picture and a prioritized roadmap built for where you actually operate.
