10.08.2026

Cyber attacks are no longer just an IT issue for manufacturers. They are disrupting production lines, increasing costs and putting customer deliveries at risk.

Make UK’s latest report, Cyber Security in Manufacturing, reveals the scale of cyber risk facing UK manufacturers and sets out the practical steps businesses can take to strengthen resilience.

Cyber risk is business risk

As factories become more connected, a digital weakness can quickly become a production problem. From supplier disruption to operational downtime, cyber incidents are now affecting the everyday performance of manufacturing businesses.

  • 30% of manufacturers experienced a cyber incident in the past year, either directly or through their supply chain.
  • Production downtime and increased operational costs were the most common impacts where incidents caused disruption.
  • 31% of manufacturers affected by supplier cyber attacks reported delays to customer deliveries.
  • Almost a third of firms either do not have cyber insurance or are unsure whether they are covered.
  • Only around half have incident response plans in place.

What manufacturers need to do next

The report calls on manufacturers to treat cyber security as a board-level priority, strengthen basic cyber hygiene, improve supplier assurance and make sure recovery plans are tested before disruption hits.

Download the report

Download Cyber Security in Manufacturing to understand the latest risks, benchmark your approach and identify practical steps to protect your people, production and supply chains.

Available resources