Connectivity Revolution and Rise in Cyber Attacks: Digital Security Threats in Manufacturing

[Süeda Asil]

Zayo's 2026 Cybersecurity Report reveals a significant increase in cyberattacks targeting the manufacturing sector. Distributed denial-of-service (DDoS) attacks, in particular, have diversified in both their scale and target audience. Such attacks paralyze systems with traffic from numerous compromised devices, leading to substantial losses in production and operations.

### DDoS Attacks and Manufacturing
DDoS attacks render target systems unusable by sending high volumes of traffic from multiple sources. Since 2024, these attacks have directly targeted not only the telecom sector but also critical sectors like manufacturing. The average DDoS attack size in manufacturing is a high 11.6 Gbps, indicating that even the smallest disruption can severely impact operations.

### Cybersecurity Risks and the New Reality
Max Clauson, Senior Vice President responsible for Zayo's network connections, states that artificial intelligence, IoT devices, and rented botnets are driving this increase. According to Clauson, in the "new normal," cybersecurity must be proactive, not reactive; otherwise, costly operational disruptions and service delays are inevitable.

### Recommendations for Manufacturers

• Real-time, automated attack prevention: 90% of attacks last less than 10 minutes, so immediate intervention is critical.
• In-network protection: Security solutions (DDoS protection, SD-WAN, managed firewall services) should be part of the network.
• Visibility and segmentation: Good monitoring of network traffic and network segmentation enable rapid detection and blocking of attacks.
• Resilience: A flexible infrastructure is essential for uninterrupted operations.

### What is Attack Volume?
Attack volume is the combination of attack frequency and the total amount of traffic. Attack size, on the other hand, is typically the intensity of a single attack measured in gigabits per second. The Zayo report emphasizes that the average attack size has increased by 70% annually, highlighting that not only attack frequency but also size is critically important.

These developments indicate that due to its digitalizing structure, the manufacturing sector has become more vulnerable to cyberattacks, and effective protection strategies are an urgent necessity.