In a new report by Kaspersky in collaboration with VDC Research, it is estimated that ransomware attacks on manufacturing organizations globally could cause over US$18 billion in losses during the first three quarters of 2025. (ripplesnigeria.com)
That staggering number reflects just the direct cost of an idle workforce when production lines grind to a halt. If you also factor in downstream impacts such as supply chain disruption, reputational damage, and recovery expenses, the real cost of a successful attack could be far higher.
Modern manufacturing increasingly depends on digital systems, operational technology (OT), interconnected machines, and legacy infrastructure. That complexity expands the attack surface and creates many opportunities for threat actors.
According to the report, ransomware detections in manufacturing organisations spanned all major regions: in the first three quarters of 2025 the share of manufacturing firms detecting ransomware ranged from 3.8% in Europe up to 7% in the Middle East, with APAC at roughly 6.3%.
When ransomware strikes, production stops. On average, attacks run about 13 days, enough to wipe out entire production cycles and inflict massive financial damage from both idle labour and lost output.
Given how critical manufacturing is to global supply chains, even a mid-tier factory can be a lucrative target, especially if its cybersecurity budget or defenses are weak.
Most legacy cybersecurity solutions focus on detecting ransomware or malicious activity and then responding, hoping to block or remediate before too much damage is done. But as the recent surge shows, by the time detection triggers you may already be staring at days of downtime, shutdown production lines, and major revenue loss.
In fast-paced manufacturing environments, downtime is not just about lost labor. It can trigger a cascade of supply chain disruptions, contract penalties, delayed deliveries, and long-term brand damage.
Attackers know this, and many are increasingly shifting tactics. Instead of going for data theft, they aim for full operational disruption. That makes a reactive posture inherently risky.
This is where a fundamentally different defense strategy shines. Rather than waiting to detect and then respond, a containment-first approach proactively isolates critical processes so that ransomware or malicious code simply cannot disrupt your operations.
AppGuard, with over a decade of proven results, delivers exactly that. By isolating sensitive processes and limiting what each application can do, AppGuard can contain and neutralize sophisticated threats before they ever execute their destructive payload.
Whether it is an unpatched legacy OT system, a multi-stage supply chain attack, or next-generation malware trying to bypass signature-based detection, AppGuard’s approach drastically reduces the risk of full-blown shutdowns.
For a manufacturing company, that difference might mean avoiding millions in downtime costs, maintaining supply chain integrity, and protecting reputation. Especially in 2025’s threat landscape where attacks are not just more frequent, they are more disruptive.
The $18B figure from Kaspersky and VDC Research is not just a statistic. It is a warning.
If your business still relies on reactive, detect-and-respond cybersecurity, you are placing your operations and bottom line at risk. For manufacturers and organizations with OT, IIoT, supply chain dependencies, or legacy systems, this is especially dangerous.
The time to rethink your cybersecurity posture is now.
At CHIPS, we have seen how AppGuard protects enterprises from real-world threats such as supply chain disruptions, ransomware, and advanced persistent threats.
If you are a business owner or executive who wants to safeguard your operations, avoid devastating downtime, and future-proof your defenses, let us talk.
Reach out to us and let us discuss how implementing AppGuard can help your organization transition from legacy "Detect and Respond" to a modern "Isolation and Containment" strategy that does not wait for threats, it prevents them.
Your production lines, workforce, and reputation deserve nothing less.
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