In this article, we’ll dive into why the manufacturing industry is a top target for cybercriminals. We’ll also dive into the current landscape of the cyberattacks on manufacturing, as well as the steps that manufacturers can take to help prevent cyberattacks such as phishing and data breaches.
Fraudsters and digital criminals will stop at nothing to secure confidential information, data, and above all, money. And while these bad actors will attack any individual or organization that presents an opportunity to get their hands on these resources, they will often focus their schemes on targets that offer the greatest rewards.
And of all the potential targets, the manufacturing industry often receives a lot of attention from cyber criminals. This industry includes companies that turn raw materials into finished goods, and spans across multiple sectors, including food production, computer and electronics assembly, transportation, chemical, and more.
These sectors are very different from each other. However, each sector is a virtual goldmine of proprietary information and sensitive data and is an excellent target for attacks that might cause costly delays, as manufacturers are often feel pressured to pay criminals to avoid them.
Although attacks on this industry present a significant risk to organizations’ bottom line, they also pose a significant risk for their employees and their data. Manufacturers can’t stop these criminals from attacking them, however, there are several steps manufacturers can take to mitigate the risk of these attacks and the resulting data breaches.
The state of cyberattacks on the manufacturing industry
Of all the industries cyber criminals choose to attack, manufacturing is the top target overall, highlighting the need for manufacturers to get creative about how they approach digital security. In fact, the manufacturing industry was the target of 26 percent of all cyberattacks in 2025, well above the finance, healthcare, and tech industry.
While a cyberattack can result in a data breach and a data breach can be the cause of a cyberattack, they are not the same. A cyberattack typically refers to a malicious action carried out by a cybercriminal, including Distributed Denial of Service (DDoS) attacks, ransomware attacks, and more. A data breach refers to an unauthorized individual gaining access to sensitive or confidential information, which can happen both intentionally and unintentionally by both internal teams and external parties.
Credential theft was the number one threat vector, with stolen credentials surging 800 percent in the first half of 2025. These stolen credentials were then shared or put up for sale on the dark web for criminals to use.
The main delivery method for the malware that attackers used to steal credentials was phishing, in which employees clicked a malicious link or downloaded an attachment that then implanted an infostealer on their device. Once installed, this malware can capture login credentials, session tokens, and other sensitive information, giving attackers the access they need to attack internal systems.
These phishing attacks can result in data breaches. These data breaches can include highly valuable intellectual property, which can then be sold. Data breaches can also include employee or customer data that can be used in phishing attacks, identity theft attempts, or other schemes.
But these data breaches can also have another impact: operational downtime. With internal teams focused on repairing the damage from a data breach, this can result in significant costs, with the average data breach in the industrial center costing $5.5 million in 2024.
How manufacturers can prevent data breaches
Although manufacturers are a top target for cyberattacks, and therefore data breaches, there are several steps they can take to reduce the likelihood of a data breach. These tactics include:
Education
By keeping employees up to date on the latest phishing techniques, manufacturing employees can prevent many of the attacks that result in data breaches. However, even with a dedicated security team, this kind of education can be time consuming and costly.
With the option to enroll in an identity protection benefit that sends frequent updates on the latest criminal techniques and has plenty of educational resources available, manufacturers can provide even more education without relying on their internal teams.
Dark web monitoring
Empowering employees to check if their personal credentials have been exposed on the dark web provides an additional layer of security. With the ability to search the dark web for their personal credentials, employees can change those credentials before they are used to breach workplace systems. By providing employees with an affordable workplace benefit that includes this functionality, organizations can add that additional layer of security.
Personal device protection
More employees than ever are using their personal devices for work with 75 percent of IT workers saying that employees using personal devices was a regular occurrence, even though only 52 percent of organizations officially allow it. And even when organizations forbid employees from using personal devices for work, 78 percent still do it.
Giving employees an affordable means of installing device protection through a work benefit helps to protect their devices from phishing and malware attacks. And with so many employees using personal devices for work, this provides an additional layer of protection for workplace systems.
Help prevent data breaches and phishing attacks with Allstate Identity Protection
The good news is that with Allstate Identity Protection’s identity protection benefit, employees can get all of these services at an affordable price. And better yet, we also provide identity protection features like credit monitoring, financial transaction monitoring, and scam protection, as well as identity restoration and reimbursement should an employee fall victim to identity theft.
To discover how Allstate Identity Protection is evolving its offering to help employees avoid scams and identity theft and help organizations protect their earnings, visit our Business Hub.
