Feature

Beyond the firewall: Manufacturing’s cybersecurity wake-up call

Supermarkets. Nurseries. Airports. If there’s one thing the past 12 months have shown us, it’s that no one is safe from a cyber-attack. In fact, a recent government-run survey estimated that a total of 612,000 businesses and 61,000 charities have been targeted across the UK.

30/10/2025 11:22:20

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Perhaps the most relevant incident for manufacturers has been the major breach experienced by Jaguar Land Rover at the end of August. Analysts estimate that the attack cost a staggering £1.9
billion, making it the most economically damaging cyber event in UK history.

Although, at the time of writing, the automotive giant’s operations are now up and running once more, the impact continues to
reverberate throughout its extensive supply chain, from huge multinationals, like Bosch, down to small firms with just a handful of employees.

A survey of West Midlands businesses found that 77 percent had
been negatively impacted by the attack, with nearly half (45 percent) reporting significant financial repercussions, including loss of revenue, increased costs, and delayed customer payments.

As other high-profile cases in recent months will
attest, the manufacturing industry is far from being the only one plagued by malicious attacks. Nonetheless, it has become one of the UK’s most targeted sectors.

Read the full article in DPA's November 2025 issue

Written By Sophia Bell

Sophia Bell is the Group Editor of DPA, Connectivity, and PBSI. She joined the team in 2020 as Assistant Editor after achieving a First-Class Honours BA in English Literature and Film Studies from the University of East Anglia. In her current role, she leads the editorial strategy, driving digital growth and ensuring each title continues to deliver trusted, relevant insight for engineering and manufacturing professionals.