Key facts
- 30% of British manufacturers experienced a cyber-attack in the past 12 months, according to a MakeUK survey.
- Half of the affected manufacturers had no plan in place to respond to a cyber-attack.
- The JLR cyber-attack, attributed to Russian hackers, cost the UK economy at least £1.9bn.
- Generative AI is contributing to the increasing sophistication and urgency of cyber threats.
- Supply chain attacks resulted in delivery delays or output cuts for about 30% of affected manufacturers.
Nearly a third of British manufacturers have been targeted by cyber-attacks, either directly or through their supply chains, according to a new survey highlighting the escalating threat to the sector. The report by MakeUK found that 30% of manufacturers experienced a cyber-incident in the past 12 months, resulting in lost production time and increased costs. Alarmingly, only half of these companies had a plan in place to respond to such an event. The increasing sophistication and number of hackers, often backed by hostile states, are driving this trend. The UK government estimates that cybercrime costs the economy £14.7 billion annually. The emergence of generative AI systems capable of autonomous hacking has added further urgency to the need for enhanced defenses. Manufacturers' efforts to boost productivity through factory connectivity have inadvertently expanded the potential impact of breaches. The JLR automotive company, Britain's largest automotive employer, suffered a significant attack that halted production for weeks. British law enforcement concluded that Russian hackers were responsible, and the incident is estimated to have cost the UK economy at least £1.9 billion, potentially making it the most expensive cyber-attack in Britain's history. Other notable attacks in recent years include those on FTSE 100 companies IMI and Smiths Group. In the retail sector, Marks & Spencer, the Co-op, and Harrods also experienced costly breaches. Jonathon Ellison of the National Cyber Security Centre emphasized that cybersecurity is a business-critical priority for all manufacturers. Among manufacturers affected by supply chain attacks, approximately 30% reported delays in customer deliveries or cuts in output. Furthermore, nearly a quarter experienced delays in component and material deliveries or shortages due to these attacks.