Ransomware remains a top cyber threat for manufacturers as attackers change tactics to exploit operational pressures and valuable intellectual property.
According to a recent Help Net Security article summarizing the Sophos State of Ransomware in Manufacturing and Production 2025 report, the manufacturing sector is now a testing ground for how ransomware strategies are shifting in response to improved defenses and changing attacker goals. Help Net Security
The report, based on a global survey of 332 IT and security leaders, reveals several important trends. Exploited vulnerabilities and malicious emails are still common entry points for ransomware incidents, highlighting that attackers continue to leverage basic weaknesses that many organizations could address with stronger protections and vigilant patching.
One of the most noteworthy findings is that encryption rates in ransomware attacks have dropped to the lowest level in five years. More manufacturers are stopping intrusions before attackers can encrypt data. In the survey, roughly half of ransomware incidents were halted prior to encryption, which is a positive step forward.
Yet this progress has not reduced the danger overall. Attackers are shifting tactics away from simple encryption toward data theft and extortion-only attacks, in which stolen information is used as leverage even when systems are never encrypted. In some cases, victims face ransom demands despite no encryption occurring at all. This shift reflects how adversaries are adapting to defensive improvements by targeting the aspects of manufacturing that matter most — sensitive designs, supply chain plans, and proprietary processes.
The strategic shift makes sense from a criminal perspective. Encryption is disruptive, but stolen data can be just as damaging if confidentiality is at stake. And in manufacturing, where intellectual property is critical and downtime can halt entire supply chains, attackers know that companies may feel immense pressure to pay.
Despite fewer encryption events, the median ransom paid still hovers around $1 million, and recovery costs average about $1.3 million. Even when organizations restore systems from backups, the operational impact and stress on cybersecurity teams is significant. Survey respondents reported increased workloads, leadership pressure, and lasting emotional strain following incidents.
These figures underscore that even when detection is effective, the human and financial toll of ransomware remains steep. Traditional defenses and response playbooks help, but they often fall short of preventing attackers from gaining a foothold or from exploiting gaps in visibility and patch management.
The evolving ransomware landscape in manufacturing illustrates a key truth about modern cyber defense: detecting threats early is beneficial, but it does not always stop the attack. Detection gives you a chance to respond, but even the best detection systems can miss initial access or allow attackers to exfiltrate data before alerts are triggered.
What organizations need now is a shift from a detect-and-respond mindset toward one focused on isolation and containment. This shift means stopping threats at their earliest stage, preventing malicious software from executing in the first place, and isolating systems so that even if an attacker breaches one area, the rest of the infrastructure stays secure.
This is where solutions like AppGuard make a real difference. With a 10-year track record of proven success, AppGuard takes a fundamentally different approach to endpoint protection. Instead of relying solely on detection and response after malicious activity occurs, AppGuard prevents unauthorized code execution and contains threats before they can move laterally or cause damage.
This isolation-first model addresses exactly the kinds of gaps that the Sophos report highlights — exploited vulnerabilities, unknown defense gaps, and attacks that evade traditional detection until it is too late. By preventing execution of unknown or unauthorized binaries and scripts, AppGuard stops ransomware and other advanced threats before they can steal data or disrupt production systems.
If your organization operates in manufacturing or any sector where ransomware could disrupt operations, you cannot afford to rely only on detection and response. The threat landscape is evolving, attackers are becoming more sophisticated, and the cost of downtime — in dollars and in stress on your teams — is simply too high.
Talk with us at CHIPS about how AppGuard can prevent these types of incidents. We can help you move beyond detect and respond to a security strategy built on isolation and containment, reducing your ransomware risk and keeping your critical systems running.
Let us show you how AppGuard’s unique approach protects against today’s threats and gives your business the resilience it needs. Contact CHIPS today to learn more.
Like this article? Please share it with others!