LevelBlue: Rising Cyber Threats Push Manufacturers to Boost
As manufacturing organisations increasingly adopt AI and automation to optimise processes, the cyber threat landscape has grown more complex.
LevelBlue’s 2025 Spotlight Report: Cyber Resilience and Business Impact in Manufacturing highlights a critical gap between rising cyber threats and manufacturers’ preparedness, prompting a strategic focus on cyber resilience.
How emerging threats target preparedness gaps
The report, based on a survey of 220 manufacturing executives, reveals a surge in anticipated AI-powered cyberattacks and sophisticated threat vectors this year.
Despite 44% expecting AI-driven attacks, only 32% feel equipped to defend against them.
Deepfake and synthetic identity attacks are expected by 47% of leaders, yet only 30% feel ready for them to strike.
Distributed denial of service (DDoS) attacks – amplified by geopolitical tensions and insecure IoT devices – remain significant, with just 37% prepared for attacks of this nature.
Longstanding concerns persist around data security and privacy, cited by 55% as their top challenge.
As well as this, visibility into software supply chains remains poor, with 54% reporting very low to moderate insight and only 26% prioritising engagement with software suppliers on security credentials.
These vulnerabilities pose a serious risk of supply chain breaches that could cascade through manufacturing ecosystems.
The importance of a cybersecurity-first culture
LevelBlue says manufacturers are responding by fostering a cybersecurity-first culture that integrates security with business strategy.
“Cyber resilience is no longer optional – it’s becoming a strategic imperative for manufacturers in order to maintain 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.”
Sixty-five per cent of organisations now hold leadership accountable through cybersecurity KPIs and 70% educate their workforce about social engineering tactics – both of which LevelBlue highlights as vital defences against increasingly sophisticated AI-augmented phishing campaigns.
More than half, 55%, factor cybersecurity budgets into new initiatives from the start, viewing resilience as foundational to innovation.
A further 69% say adaptability in cybersecurity practices enables them to take greater innovation risks safely.
- Machine learning for pattern matching (71%)
- Cyber resilience processes across the business (69%)
- Generative AI defences targeting social engineering (64%)
- Application security (67%)
- Enhanced software supply chain security (63%)
Despite these efforts, only 34% invest significantly in Zero Trust Architecture, a robust defence posture that continuously verifies identities and quickly responds to incidents – critical in today’s evolving threat environment.
“AI-powered criminals are launching more frequent and sophisticated attacks than those not using AI,” Kory goes on to tell 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.”
How to boost cyber resilience
To drive greater resilience, LevelBlue recommends four steps.
- Align cyber resilience with high-level business decisions
- Cultivate a culture encouraging easy reporting of potential threats
- Engage external cybersecurity experts for strategy, training and validation
- Prioritise software supply chain security through rigorous supplier assessments and confidence scoring
These measures, LevelBlue says, balance protecting assets with enabling innovation.
With cyber adversaries increasingly leveraging AI to automate ransomware campaigns, craft convincing deepfakes and exploit complex supply chains, manufacturers stand at a critical juncture.
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.”