Manufacturers ramp up cyber resilience as AI threats intensify

New research from LevelBlue indicates that manufacturers are facing a rise in cyber threats, prompting increased prioritisation of cyber resilience across the sector.

LevelBlue's 2025 Spotlight Report: Cyber Resilience and Business Impact in Manufacturing examines how manufacturing organisations are responding to more sophisticated attacks as adoption of artificial intelligence (AI) technologies expands for efficiency and automation.

Preparedness concerns

The report highlights that manufacturing executives are anticipating a surge in AI-powered threats, deepfakes, and synthetic identity attacks over the coming year. However, there are significant concerns regarding preparedness. Only 32 per cent of manufacturing executives say they are equipped to handle AI-powered attacks, and just 30 per cent believe their organisations are ready for deepfake attacks.

The research also identifies an increase in distributed denial of service (DDoS) attacks amid rising geopolitical tensions. Despite this, only 37 per cent of executives report their organisations are prepared for these attacks.

Data security and privacy remain key challenges. The findings show that 54 per cent of manufacturing organisations report very low to moderate visibility into their software supply chain, leaving them potentially vulnerable to attacks exploiting these gaps.

Business alignment

In response to these risks, the report notes a shift within the manufacturing industry towards treating cybersecurity as a strategic priority. Initiatives are now more closely linked to business outcomes and innovation strategies.

LevelBlue found that 65 per cent of organisations say leadership roles are now measured against cybersecurity KPIs, highlighting how security targets are being integrated into core business performance criteria. Additionally, 70 per cent of manufacturers are increasing workforce education around social engineering tactics.

Cyber resilience is no longer optional, it's becoming a strategic imperative for manufacturers in order to maintain customer and supply chain trust. 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.

According to the report, manufacturers are now embedding resilience directly into their innovation strategies. More than half (55 per cent) of surveyed organisations allocate cybersecurity budgets at the outset of new projects. 69 per cent report that an adaptive approach to cybersecurity allows them to take greater innovation risks, supporting business growth and transformation while managing cyber threats.

Investment focus

Manufacturing organisations are pursuing further investment in several cyber resilience areas. These include machine learning for pattern matching (71 per cent), cyber resilience processes across the business (69 per cent), generative AI defences against social engineering (64 per cent), application security (67 per cent), and enhanced software supply chain security (63 per cent).

The report suggests that these investments represent an ongoing evolution in how manufacturers approach and manage cyber risk as part of their operational and strategic objectives.

Recommendations from research

Based on the findings, LevelBlue recommends four specific actions for manufacturing leaders to strengthen cyber resilience across their organisations. These include: aligning cyber resilience with high-level business decisions, encouraging and simplifying reporting of potential threats, involving external providers for strategic advice and training, and verifying cybersecurity credentials of suppliers to better identify vulnerabilities in the software supply chain.

Research context

The research underpinning the report involved a quantitative survey conducted in January 2025 by FT Longitude, with participation from 1,500 C-suite and senior executives across 14 countries and seven sectors. The survey sample included 220 respondents from the manufacturing industry, providing broad insight into current trends and challenges.