Manufacturing Cybersecurity Faces Increased Risks Amid Declining Attack Volume

SonicWall's 2026 Manufacturing Protect Brief reveals a 56.2% year-over-year decline in intrusion prevention events in the manufacturing sector. Despite this drop, the total number of cyberattacks remains significant at 474 million events, with hackers executing more targeted attacks. The report highlights 43 million attacks on networked security cameras, particularly exploiting a known Hikvision vulnerability. As manufacturers increasingly connect operational technology to IT infrastructure, the attack surface expands, allowing attackers to leverage stolen credentials to access critical systems. The report emphasizes that the architecture of manufacturing networks is outdated, posing a significant risk to operations. Ten ransomware groups were active against manufacturing networks in the first half of 2026, with the Zhen malware family alone accounting for 22.2 million hits. The need for continuous user verification and restricted access is critical to mitigate risks.

Key Points: • Manufacturing sector saw a 56.2% decline in intrusion prevention events in H1 2026. • 43 million attacks targeted networked security cameras, exploiting a Hikvision flaw. • Ten ransomware groups were active against manufacturing networks in early 2026.