78% of UK manufacturers hit by a cyber incident in the past year

Research suggests 78% of UK manufacturers experienced a cyber incident in the past year. Manufacturing has often assumed it’s a low-value target — these figures say otherwise, and the mix of IT and factory-floor technology makes the sector especially exposed.

What it means for you

Manufacturers increasingly run connected production systems (operational technology) alongside traditional IT. That convergence expands the attack surface, and downtime on a production line is enormously costly — which is precisely what makes manufacturers attractive ransomware targets.

Segmenting IT from operational technology, keeping systems patched, and having tested backups are the priorities. We help manufacturing clients protect both the office and the factory floor without disrupting production.

Source: ITPro, 1 April 2026.