Spear Phishing is the Top Cyber Threat to the Manufacturing Sector
Spear phishing was the top cybersecurity threat to the manufacturing sector over the past six months, according to a report from ReliaQuest. These attacks accounted for 41% of true-positive alerts in the sector.
“Spear phishing remains a favored tactic for attackers targeting manufacturing companies—and it’s easy to see why,” ReliaQuest says. “It preys on the everyday flow of business; attackers send spear phishing emails that look routine—like a supplier requesting payment—and wait for a misstep. And when that happens, the consequences are stark.”
These attacks are fueled by the growing availability of phishing kits, which enable attackers to launch sophisticated attacks with very little effort.
“Spear phishing attacks on manufacturing are set to double in 2025, driven by the increasing use of phishing kits and nation-state interest in industries like defense and aerospace,” the researchers write. “Discussions about phishing kits on cybercriminal forums surged by 136% in 2024, allowing attackers of all skill levels to exploit manufacturing’s reliance on email for supply-chain and financial transactions.”
The manufacturing sector was also a top target for ransomware, with 370 victims in the fourth quarter of 2024.
“Why is manufacturing such a prime target?” ReliaQuest writes. “Downtime is devastating—but that’s also true for sectors like health care. What sets manufacturing apart is its operational scale. One production line being compromised can disrupt entire supply chains and cause huge financial losses.
And as organizations increasingly adopt IIoT devices to improve OT visibility, the risks grow exponentially. Many IIoT devices are tied to legacy OT systems that can’t be updated, creating vulnerabilities that are magnets for attackers. The combination of large-scale operations, legacy vulnerabilities, and open supply chains makes manufacturing a goldmine for attackers—and the statistics show they’re cashing in.”
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ReliaQuest has the story.
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