Manufacturing executives recently surveyed by LevelBlue expressed a deep concern that emerging attack methods, such as deepfakes and AI-powered attacks, will take place just as often as more traditional attacks.
The survey found that 47% expected a deepfake and synthetic identity attack to occur within the next year, while 44% anticipated an AI-powered attack.
This information was derived from a research-based survey conducted in January 2025, which included 220 C-suite and senior manufacturing executives. The complete survey results can be found in LevelBlue’s newly released 2025 Spotlight Report: Cyber Resilience and Business Impact in Manufacturing.
The Growing Threat of AI-Enhanced Cyberattacks
AI has become what is commonly called a force multiplier for threat actors, essentially allowing them to do more with less.
Some of the areas where AI is supercharging adversary capabilities are:
- Accelerate vulnerability discovery and exploitation through automated ransomware and phishing campaigns.
- Craft highly convincing phishing lures that are tailored and more difficult to detect.
- Create deepfakes and synthetic identities to fuel fraud schemes.
- Develop new variants of malware designed to bypass traditional security systems.
While manufacturers acknowledge these looming dangers, readiness remains low, with only 32% reporting that they are prepared for AI-powered attacks, and just 30% feel equipped to defend against deepfake or synthetic identity threats.
At the same time, geopolitical instability is fueling another wave of cyber risk. Nation-state actors and hacktivist groups are launching large-scale distributed denial of service (DDoS) attacks to disrupt critical infrastructure.
These attacks, which overwhelm systems with massive volumes of traffic, are not new; they’ve been a staple of the Internet for decades, but today, attackers are scaling their impact by leveraging insecure IoT devices to build massive botnets.
Even so, only 37% of manufacturing executives report being prepared for a DDoS attack.
Where Manufacturers Are Investing
Despite these challenges and shortfalls in some areas, manufacturers are making progress in shoring up their defenses. Many are channeling resources into machine learning and cyber resilience, reflecting a growing recognition that modern defenses must be dynamic and business-wide.
The top five areas for significant investment are:
- Machine learning for pattern matching – 71%
- Cyber resilience processes across the business – 69%
- Generative AI defenses against social engineering – 64%
- Application security – 67%
- Software supply chain security – 63%
Encouragingly, these priorities show strong alignment with broader enterprise security trends. However, only 34% of manufacturers are significantly investing in Zero Trust Architecture (ZTA) — a framework that could help prevent lateral movement, detect anomalies quickly, and instill resilient behaviors across the workforce.
Why Stand Alone?
Manufacturing organizations are increasingly recognizing that they can’t go it alone. The complexity of modern cyber threats requires external expertise, and many manufacturers are turning to outside partners for help.
- 38% expect to enlist cybersecurity consultants in the next two years — up slightly from the 36% who have already done so.
- 40% plan to seek guidance from cyber insurance advisors, compared with only 29% who engaged them in the past year.
These shifts reflect a growing awareness that proactive resilience isn’t just about technology investments — it’s also about guidance, planning, and shared accountability.
Bringing it All Together
The manufacturing sector is at a pivotal moment. AI-driven cyberattacks, deepfakes, DDoS campaigns, and supply chain vulnerabilities are already reshaping the security landscape, and adversaries are evolving faster than defenses.
While investments in machine learning and cyber resilience are promising, manufacturers must go further by embracing Zero Trust, strengthening IoT security, and leaning on expert partners who can help them stay ahead of adversaries.
The threats are imminent, but with a proactive and holistic approach, manufacturers can close the readiness gap and secure their operations against the next generation of cyberattacks.
