Quest Software, a global systems management, data protection and security software provider, has released the results of a survey shedding light on how manufacturing enterprises tackle cyber threats. The survey, which gathered responses from 300 C-level IT executives, reveals insights into the security landscape of the manufacturing industry, which had become a major target for ransomware and extortion in 2022.
IT executives indicated that within the manufacturing sector, the most significant security threats are ransomware (22%), industrial espionage (21%) and state-sponsored threats (21%). Meanwhile, 35% of respondents identified ransomware/malware as the most common form of attack, while 27% cited phishing/social engineering.
Notably, 66% of participants expressing their belief that their manufacturing enterprise will be targeted by a cyberattack within the next 12 months. Moreover, the financial ramifications of such attacks can be significant, as more than 38% of manufacturing organisations expect revenue losses ranging from US$20 million to US$50 million if their Active Directory environment was compromised for 24 hours. An additional 32% anticipate losses between US$50 million and US$100 million. Surprisingly, despite these risks, only 19% of respondents conduct monthly reviews of vulnerabilities and potential attack paths in their Active Directory environment, with a mere 7% performing these reviews on a weekly basis.
“Against a backdrop of ever-increasing cyber threats, organisations – and especially those in the manufacturing industry – should always view Active Directory as a Tier 0 asset and pay particular attention to its security and protection,” said John Hernandez, General Manager at Quest. “It is also critical to invest in cyber-resilience to be prepared for cyberattacks and Disaster Recovery situations to reduce the risks of supply chain disruption and manufacturing system downtime.”
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