Ransomware Threats Are Escalating Can Metal Manufacturers Keep Up?

Ransomware attacks are becoming more targeted, more frequent, and more financially devastating than ever particularly for metal manufacturing firms. As industrial systems grow increasingly complex and interconnected, they also become more exposed. Ransomware has taken advantage of this, with experts projecting global costs could exceed $250 billion annually by 2031.

Manufacturing operations, especially in metals, are vulnerable on multiple fronts: legacy systems still in use, an expanding reliance on third-party vendors, and the Industrial Internet of Things (IIoT), which connects everything from controllers to cloud interfaces. All these open new avenues for attackers to infiltrate, encrypt, and demand massive payouts. Yet, the costs extend well beyond ransom payments.

When Norwegian aluminum giant Norsk Hydro rejected ransom demands in 2019, the firm faced over $70 million in financial impact in the months that followed despite having backups in place. A more recent case involved Kojima Industries, a Toyota supplier, which suffered a ransomware breach that brought 14 Toyota plants to a standstill. The ripple effect halted the production of approximately 13,000 vehicles.

These attacks don’t just stall operations; they threaten an organization’s reputation and long-term viability. In many cases, stakeholders lose trust, contracts are canceled, and customers walk away.

The main entry points for these cybercrimes are also disturbingly simple. Phishing emails, unpatched software, and poorly secured IIoT devices are among the most common vulnerabilities. Add to that insider risks and third-party vendor flaws, and the attack surface widens substantially.

Fortunately, there are practical defenses. Frequent patching, implementing zero-trust architecture, and deploying advanced threat detection tools like endpoint detection and response (EDR) can significantly minimize risk. But security is not just about technology training employees, assessing operational impact, and promoting a culture of cyber vigilance are equally critical.

For manufacturers navigating tight budgets and high output demands, balancing productivity and cybersecurity is a constant challenge. But as ransomware tactics evolve, this balance must tilt more decisively toward proactive protection.

At Directpath Global Technologies (DGT), we understand these pressures. As a Managed Security Services Provider (MSSP), we work with manufacturing companies to implement predictive security tools tailored to their operations. Our offerings from Mobile Threat Defense (MTD), XDR, and VAPT to SOC2 and VRMaaS address the unique vulnerabilities in complex industrial environments. And through our Artificial Intelligence Division, we help organizations optimize not just cybersecurity, but operational strategy overall.

The question is no longer if ransomware will strike, but when and whether your business will be ready. Source: Canadian Metalworking