Cybersecurity Services for Manufacturing

Cyberattacks on manufacturers grow more sophisticated each day and can disrupt production, compromise sensitive data and even put physical safety at risk.

Once relegated as a simple operational task secondary to other operational needs, cybersecurity services are now a primary defense against an increasingly complex and evolving threat landscape.

ZeroDay Law’s strategic insights and advanced approaches help manufacturing clients navigate today’s challenges and proactively protect themselves from tomorrow’s cyber threats.

Why Should Manufacturers Be Concerned about Cybersecurity?

The manufacturing sector finds itself at a crossroads. In 2022, manufacturing posted a dubious achievement: a 50% increase in ransomware attacks, the largest for any business sector. At the same time, manufacturing is also undergoing unprecedented growth and transformation. Companies that don’t prioritize cybersecurity face several major threats, all of which have the potential to damage a manufacturing operation including:

• Ransomware Attacks: Cyberattackers use ransomware to hold critical data hostage until an organization pays a ransom. Manufacturers have become prime targets because ransomware can cripple or idle operations, causing substantial financial losses and creating a strong incentive for companies to comply with the ransom demands. Guarding against ransomware requires robust security measures, including stringent access controls, routine data backups and ongoing employee training. These strategies mitigate the risk of ransomware attacks and foster a resilient organizational posture against such threats.
• Supply Chain Attacks: The manufacturing sector relies on an intricate web of partners and suppliers, often creating vulnerabilities. Cybercriminals target the weak points in existing networks to find compromised entities that can act as gateways into manufacturing systems. Safeguarding against supply chain assaults requires cybersecurity assessments of partners and suppliers, access controls and proactive scrutiny of potentially compromised systems.
• Social Engineering Techniques: While manufacturing cyber defenses often focus on operational and digital systems, savvy cybercriminals have broadened their tactics to exploit human vulnerabilities using sophisticated social engineering techniques, such as email phishing and unintended malware downloads. Manufacturers should provide robust security awareness training programs that educate employees, including phishing simulations and heightened cybersecurity knowledge.

• Internet of Things (IoT) vulnerabilities: Manufacturing uses IoT to enhance productivity but it exposes organizations to new cybersecurity challenges. Interconnected devices provide a gateway for cybercriminals to gain unauthorized access to manufacturing networks and launch denial-of-service attacks. Countering this vulnerability requires detailed device management policies, continuous risk assessments and immediate deployment of security updates and enhancements as they are released.

Do you have specific cybersecurity or privacy concerns? Reach out to our team now to learn how we can help. 

Cybersecurity Services for the Manufacturing Industry

In response to ever-increasing cyberattacks, many manufacturers are taking concrete steps to strengthen their defenses and create a proactive strategy to protect their businesses. ZeroDay Law offers valuable legal insight into cybersecurity, providing practical solutions for cyber risk compliance and management that provide proactive protection for manufacturers.

Risk Management

Manufacturers face a unique blend of challenges in the cybersecurity landscape. A risk management approach provides a structure to identify, assess and mitigate potential threats. This safeguards against cyberattacks and minimizes potential disruptions.

Our risk management approach uses the following:

• Assessment and tabletop exercises to determine organizational risk
• A risk review and assessment of internal and external environments to identify common risks that could impact operations
• A risk prioritization to assess damage potential and the likelihood of occurrence, which helps assign the appropriate resources to mitigate each risk
• Strategy and tactic development to manage risk, which can include technical controls, secure process design and awareness and training plans

What are the benefits of tabletop exercises? We review them here.

Incident Response Plan Development

ZeroDay Law also provides Incident Response (IR) plan development, a critical security activity that guides businesses through the challenges posed by cyber threats. IR involves steps that should be taken before, during and after a cybersecurity incident. A holistic incident response management approach merges technical and non-technical expertise, creating a unified front that includes stakeholders from IT, legal, HR and compliance departments.

IR planning is a cornerstone of cybersecurity readiness, providing a structured playbook that outlines procedures and responsibilities. This planning minimizes recovery time, reduces damage and ensures business continuity during a cyber crisis.

Learn how to build a detailed, company-specific incident response plan now.

Review and Implement Access Controls

Access control is an essential strategy manufacturers can use to reduce their risk against cyber threats. It allows for secure user authentication and authorization processes and ensures that only verified personnel can access sensitive data. By implementing strict access controls, manufacturers can prevent network infiltration by cyber actors, reducing the risk of data breaches and operational disruptions.

Security Segmentation

Security segmentation is a critical strategy for manufacturers to protect their assets by organizing them based on operational function, mission criticality levels and data sensitivity. This approach allows asset managers to group assets with similar protection needs. This creates well-defined security zones that facilitate trusted communication within groups and enforces security controls that prevent undue trust between assets in different security zones.

This approach is often beneficial for small manufacturers, who lack resources and can benefit from the cost-effective approach that security segmentation provides for cybersecurity resilience.

Benefits of IR Plans for Improved Manufacturing Cybersecurity

A well-crafted cybersecurity plan protects against the evolving threat landscape, safeguarding manufacturing operations from the potentially devastating consequences of a cyberattack. From mitigating risks and protecting sensitive data to maintaining operational continuity and ensuring regulatory compliance, the benefits of a comprehensive cybersecurity plan are far-reaching and essential for manufacturers of all sizes and industries. In addition to protecting organizational assets, a strong IR plan also provides several additional benefits:

• Improved internal organizational confidence in cyber resilience 
• A stronger cybersecurity culture
• Proactive protection that mitigates risk for departments and individuals
• A proactive plan to help the organization more confidently respond to a cyber attack 
• Opportunities to educate organizational members to keep their knowledge base up to date, especially on activities that exploit human vulnerabilities in the workplace

Why Choose ZeroDay Law

ZeroDay Law is a trusted partner for manufacturers interested in strengthening their cybersecurity efforts. With extensive experience, ZeroDay Law offers advanced cybersecurity and legal counsel, specializing in incident response management, privacy law and cyber risk compliance assessments.

Contact ZeroDay Law to learn how a robust cybersecurity plan can protect your manufacturing operation today in the ever-changing threat landscape.