Manufacturers have been told cyber security can no longer be viewed as simply an option as the threat of attack soars.

The warning came as US based managed security services, strategic consulting, and threat intelligence company, LevelBlue, released its 2025 Spotlight Report: Cyber Resilience and Business Impact in Manufacturing. The report explores how the manufacturing industry is protecting itself from increasingly sophisticated attacks as more organisations integrate artificial intelligence (AI) for efficiency, optimised processes, and enhanced automation.

The findings reveal that manufacturing organizations expect a rise in AI-powered attacks, deepfakes, and synthetic identity attacks in 2025; however, many are not prepared for them. Only 32% of manufacturing executives say they are equipped for AI-powered threats, and just 30% feel their organisation is ready for deepfake attacks. Simultaneously, organisations face an increase in distributed denial of service (DDoS) attacks amid rising geopolitical tensions, with only 37% of manufacturing executives reporting they are prepared for them. Data security and privacy are still the biggest challenges, with 54% of organisations reporting very low to moderate visibility into the software supply chain.

“Manufacturing executives cannot afford to overlook cybersecurity Increasing risks and the fast-developing threat landscape are elevating the importance of cyber resilience on the C-suite agenda, but organisations could be placing too much confidence in their ability to manage threats,” the report added.

The study found 28% of manufacturing executives say their organisation suffered a breach in the past 12 months.

Of those questioned 37% said they are experiencing a significantly higher volume of attacks, with 65% saying that media reports of high-profile breaches have elevated cybersecurity on the C-suite agenda.

Just over half (51%) said they are highly or very highly competent at defending themselves against cyber adversaries that are using AI techniques.

“Manufacturing organisations expect AI-powered attacks, deepfakes, and synthetic identity attacks in 2025,” the report added. “But many are not prepared for them. Just 32% of manufacturing executives say they are prepared for AI-powered threats, despite 44% believing they will happen, while only 30% feel their organisation is prepared for deepfake attacks, even though 47% are expecting them.”

LevelBlue continued in response to these threats, manufacturers are cultivating a cybersecurity-first culture by linking security initiatives directly to business strategy. As an industry, these organisations are taking actionable steps: 65% say leadership roles are now measured against cybersecurity KPIs, and 70% are educating the workforce about 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,” said LevelBlue chief security & trust officer Kory Daniels. “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.”

“Research shows manufacturers are beginning to embed resilience into their innovation strategies, with more than half (55%) now allocating cybersecurity budgets at the outset of new initiatives,” added the report. “Another 69% report that an adaptive approach to cybersecurity enables them to take greater innovation risks.”

Significant areas of additional cyber resilience investments from manufacturers include:

• Machine learning for pattern matching (71%)
• Cyber resilience processes across the business (69%)
• Generative AI defences against social engineering (64%)
• Application security (67%)
• Enhanced software supply chain security (63%)

Based on these findings, LevelBlue said it recommends four specific steps to elevate cyber resilience, build a strong cyber culture, increase proactivity, and prioritise software supply chain resilience.

“These include aligning cyber-resilience considerations with business decisions at the highest level, encouraging everyone to report potential threats while making it easy to do so, and engaging external providers to enhance cybersecurity measures, advise on strategy, provide training, and verify suppliers’ cybersecurity credentials to help identify potential vulnerabilities in a software supply chain,” the report said.