Manufacturing and construction companies are prime targets for cyberattacks because your operations are so critical. You may be vulnerable to ransomware and extortion, especially if you haven't traditionally invested in cybersecurity. Plus, your interconnected networks and big financial transactions make them attractive to hackers, leading to potential supply chain breaches and big financial losses.
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Estimated percentage of the U.S. GDP in manufacturing losses due to cyberattacks. (NIST)
Total losses suffered by boating manufacturer Brunswick Corporation following a cyberattack in June 2023 (which also disrupted operations for 9 days). (Yahoo Finance)
Amount of sales lost by semiconductor technology supplier Applied Materials following a supply-chain ransomware attack in February 2023. (Bloomberg)
Percent of construction businesses that have experienced a phishing attack in the last year. (World Metrics)
Construction and manufacturing industries have struggled to keep up with the latest cybersecurity measures compared to sectors like healthcare and banking. Outdated systems, inadequate firewalls, and interconnected networks across multiple sites and offices create vulnerabilities that have caught the interest of cybercriminals.
Cyberattacks can disrupt manufacturing and construction operations, leading to production delays, equipment malfunctions, and financial losses. These can often have far-reaching consequences, impacting your company and customers as well as suppliers and partners.
Hackers often target manufacturing and construction companies to steal valuable intellectual property—like product designs, manufacturing processes, or proprietary technologies—along with personnel records or financial information. These data breaches can result in significant financial losses and hurt your competitive advantage.
Construction projects typically involve many stakeholders, including subcontractors and suppliers, while manufacturing processes involve several steps along the supply chain. Even if a cyber breach didn’t occur on your end, the interdependency still exposes your business to risk. In other words, a breach in the supply chain could create a disruption that quickly spills over to all the other companies connected to it.
By fostering a culture of vigilance and proactive defense, construction firms can significantly reduce the risk of cyberattacks. As a whole, the industry should prioritize employee training on cybersecurity best practices like recognizing phishing attempts and securing personal devices. Implementing robust cybersecurity policies, conducting regular vulnerability assessments, and employing multi-factor authentication should also be standard at this point, along with managed detection and response for malicious activity.
The manufacturing and construction sectors are facing an uptick in cyber threats targeting their operational and information technology systems. Ransomware attacks are particularly dangerous, encrypting essential company data and private customer data while demanding outlandish payments. Phishing attacks often exploit employees through deceptive emails, aiming to steal credentials or implant malware.
Malware infections can also spread via compromised websites or email attachments, posing operational risks. On top of all that, supply chain attacks are on the rise—hackers are constantly exploiting vulnerabilities in third-party vendors to access sensitive data.
Today’s healthcare organizations face growing pressure from regulators, assessors, and insurers who all want solid proof of strong cybersecurity efforts. And that’s in addition to meeting strict standards set by organizations like the Office for Civil Rights (OCR) to protect private patient data. Plus, breaches not only jeopardize patient trust but also damage relationships with third-party organizations. But simply meeting minimum standards is no longer enough—stakeholders need to see strong systems in place that will prevent, detect, respond to, and recover from cyber threats.
Boosting cybersecurity in manufacturing means setting up specific plans that fit the industry, securing control systems, hardening endpoints, looking for signs of unwanted access, and keeping software up to date. Training employees on spotting phishing scams, using stronger passwords, and reporting incidents helps build a safety-focused mindset. Working with others in the field and experts to plan for and respond to cyber threats is also crucial.
Cyber insurance should be considered essential for construction firms facing increasing cyber threats and potential financial losses from data breaches and ransomware attacks. It pays for things like recovering data, legal expenses, and fines from breaches. If a cyberattack causes delays in projects, insurance can cover those losses, too. Many policies often include help from cybersecurity experts and general support for dealing with attacks until the situation has been fully resolved.
“When Huntress calls, we answer because we know that’s the call that matters. We don’t have the luxury of having team members comb through logs and events all day. We need to be able to focus our attention on other priorities, and Huntress enables us to do that.”
“Huntress filters out all the noise. Their SOC team does a remarkable job of verifying threats and only sending alerts when they need our attention or action. Our techs know that when an alert from Huntress comes through, they better look at it.”
“The human element is huge—that’s why we stay with Huntress because I trust their team. Their SOC team will call us and alert us to real vulnerabilities. We’ve never gotten a call from SentinelOne, let’s put it that way.”
Let Huntress’ Managed EDR platform give you peace of mind and protection by handling cybersecurity for your manufacturing and construction operations and devices. Our human-led Security Operations Center keeps a constant watch on your endpoints and identities so you don’t have to, detecting and responding to any suspicious activity 24/7. If we spot a threat, our team jumps in to investigate, contain, and remove it. We’ll also guide you through cleanup and recovery afterward, if needed.
Boost your defense even further with our fully managed Security Awareness Training. These engaging courses teach your whole team—from staff to management and contractors—how to spot and report cyber threats before they can get a foothold.
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