Cyber-Attacks Hit 30% of British Manufacturers

MakeUK reports that 30% of British manufacturers experienced cyber-attacks on their systems or supply chains over the past 12 months. These incidents have resulted in lost production time and increased costs, though only half of the affected companies maintain a formal response plan.

The vulnerability stems from the trend of connecting factories to improve productivity, which expands the potential scope of breaches. Risks are further driven by state-backed hackers and the rise of autonomous generative AI hacking tools.

The most severe example occurred last August when a massive attack attributed to Russian hackers forced Jaguar Land Rover to shut down all factories, offices, and retail operations. The Cyber Monitoring Centre estimated this single incident cost the UK economy at least £1.9bn.