Manufacturers are escalating cyber resilience in response to evolving AI-powered threats
AI is reshaping the manufacturing industry. It’s driving automation, reducing waste, and increasing precision. But it’s also opening new doors for attackers. Threats are smarter, automated, adaptive, and more difficult to detect. Deepfakes and synthetic identities aren’t future problems. They’re already happening. And most companies are not ready.
Right now, only 32% of manufacturing executives say they can handle AI-based attacks. That means most companies are exposed. Deepfake risk isn’t theoretical either, just 30% believe they’re prepared. These are low numbers for an industry that relies on trust across supply chains. You can’t afford hesitation here. And it’s not just sophisticated AI attacks. Distributed denial-of-service (DDoS) attacks are increasing due to geopolitical tensions. But fewer than 4 in 10 manufacturers are prepared to manage them.
Manufacturers need to get ahead of this. Cyber resilience should be built into everything, people, systems, and processes. As complexity increases, resilience needs to scale too.
C-level leaders need to see this shift for what it is, a move from static defense to dynamic readiness. AI threats move fast. Your systems need to shift from being shielded to being smart. This means embedding resilience not just in IT, but in your business architecture. When leadership takes ownership, not just delegation, you develop response strategies that evolve in real time.
Limited visibility into the software supply chain is a major cybersecurity vulnerability
Manufacturers are constantly integrating new software into their operations. From machine control to logistics to inventory systems. But security isn’t just about your systems, it’s about where your code comes from. And most organizations can’t see deeply enough into that supply chain to catch vulnerabilities early.
According to LevelBlue’s recent report, 54% of manufacturers say they have only low to moderate visibility into their software supply chains. That’s a problem when malicious actors are embedding vulnerabilities into components you install or update without inspection. Worse, if these threats live unnoticed for weeks or months, damage to production lines, IP theft, or regulatory consequences could happen before alarms even go off.
As a leader, think beyond your firewall. Your weakest point may be buried inside a third-party dependency you didn’t audit. Visibility here isn’t about tools; it’s about proactive governance. You need real-time supply chain intelligence, plus third-party risk assessments before integration. Build policies so that security checks aren’t an afterthought, they’re a requirement at the purchase order level.
Cybersecurity initiatives are increasingly aligned with core business strategies in manufacturing
There’s a shift happening in manufacturing. Cybersecurity is becoming a core business driver. Companies are no longer treating it as just an IT responsibility. Instead, it’s part of how they define success across every level of performance, from innovation to operational continuity.
Right now, 65% of manufacturers say executive leadership is measured against cybersecurity KPIs. That’s a strong signal. What used to be back-office metrics are now boardroom benchmarks. This shows that decision-makers understand the strategic weight of cyber resilience. It protects intellectual property. It secures customer trust. And it defends uptime. At the same time, 70% of organizations are increasing education on social engineering. Because most attacks still rely on human error, not software flaws.
This alignment between cyber goals and business outcomes isn’t just improving defense. It’s redefining accountability. When resilience becomes a leadership metric, innovation stays protected, compliance gets easier, and incident response improves across the board.
Executives should look at security performance like any other business metric, quantifiable, visible, and connected to growth. Tying cyber KPIs directly to leadership performance embeds accountability at the top. It also ensures cybersecurity becomes part of how strategies are developed, not how problems are fixed. This reduces friction between innovation and risk management.
Adaptive cybersecurity strategies enable manufacturers to pursue greater innovation and calculated risk-taking
Static defenses won’t cut it anymore. The way threats evolve means companies have to evolve alongside them. That’s why adaptive cybersecurity, systems that can learn, adjust, and pivot, are giving manufacturers the edge. These approaches don’t just respond; they prepare, test, and anticipate.
69% of manufacturing leaders say this kind of adaptability directly supports their ability to take greater innovation risks. By hardening defenses that evolve with the threat landscape, they’re reducing uncertainty when launching new digital initiatives or reshaping product lifecycles. In short, adaptability lowers the cost of being bold. Rather than pausing initiatives due to potential risk, leaders are now building smarter security frameworks that allow them to proceed with speed and confidence.
Executives should understand that adaptability isn’t about technology alone, it’s a mindset embedded into processes. It demands real-time threat intelligence, internal feedback loops, and security planning baked into every phase of innovation. It also reduces over-reliance on traditional risk aversion, enabling faster decision-making with known contingencies. The effect is not just safer systems but more agile organizations.
Targeted investments in cybersecurity technologies reflect a comprehensive commitment to enhancing cyber resilience
Manufacturers aren’t waiting for threats to reach their doorstep, they’re funding solutions now. Strategic investment in cybersecurity has moved beyond basic infrastructure. Companies are deploying advanced tools that detect, analyze, and neutralize threats across their business ecosystem. The focus is sharp: machine learning for pattern detection, countermeasures against AI-driven social engineering, and tighter application and software supply chain security.
The numbers tell the story. 71% of organizations are investing in machine learning for identifying threat patterns, 67% in application security, 64% in generative AI defenses, and 63% in securing software supply chains. Another 69% are embedding cyber resilience across the entire business. These investments go beyond perimeter defense. They are designed to secure every layer of the organization, from development processes to frontline decision-making systems.
This signals a larger shift. Cyber resilience is now seen as a capability that supports growth, not just a firewall to prevent loss. Committing resources here is not a cost center, it’s a risk-controlled enabler of operational scalability.
Leaders should focus on maximizing return from cybersecurity investments by aligning them directly with core functions, R&D, procurement, manufacturing, logistics. Avoiding one-size-fits-all tools and tailoring security deployment to operational needs will yield much stronger resilience without unnecessary complexity. The value of these investments increases when they support speed, compliance, and business continuity, all at once.
Strategic recommendations emphasize the integration of cyber resilience into core business decision-making
Being ahead in manufacturing is about decisions. The right cybersecurity decisions need to happen early, consistently, and from the top. The actions recommended in LevelBlue’s report are clear and direct: tie cyber resilience to senior management decisions, normalize internal threat reporting, involve outside experts in training and strategy, and demand greater scrutiny of supplier security credentials. This is not just tactical advice, it’s a call for systemic change.
Manufacturers that follow these steps will have an operational edge. They increase internal awareness, reduce decision delays during security events, and develop more transparent and secure supplier networks. Too often, leaders delegate these responsibilities too far down the chain. That makes response times slow and weakens cross-functional awareness. By contrast, strategic ownership, at the executive level, builds a culture where security is part of every core decision.
This is about designing processes where cyber resilience informs vendor agreements, product launches, and innovation timelines. Accountability must live with leadership. Decision-makers should also ensure there’s a feedback mechanism in place to update processes based on internal learnings and external threat trends. This turns security into a flexible, living part of the business.
Key highlights
- AI-powered threats demand strategic urgency: Manufacturers face escalating risks from AI-driven cyberattacks, with low executive confidence in defending against deepfakes and synthetic identities. Leaders should prioritize cross-functional cyber readiness to protect core operations and reputation.
- Supply chain blind spots increase breach exposure: Over half of manufacturers report limited visibility into their software supply chains, heightening third-party risk. Executives should mandate supplier audits and invest in end-to-end supply chain security.
- Cybersecurity is now a key leadership metric: 65% of manufacturers now tie cybersecurity KPIs to leadership performance, reflecting increased alignment between resilience and business growth. C-suite leaders should hardwire cyber accountability into strategic planning.
- Adaptability fuels innovation under threat pressure: 69% of manufacturers say adaptive cybersecurity enables greater innovation while controlling risk. Business leaders should fund flexible, threat-responsive systems to balance speed with security.
- Investment is shifting to smarter, business-wide defenses: Manufacturers are backing advanced tools like machine learning and generative AI protection, along with deeper integration of application- and supply chain-level security. Leaders should allocate funds toward scalable, intelligence-driven defenses.
- Executive action is key to embedded resilience: LevelBlue recommends integrating cyber risk into top-level decisions, streamlining internal threat reporting, involving third-party experts, and verifying supplier security posture. Executives should lead these initiatives to build a proactive, organization-wide security culture.
