Ransomware Attacks on Manufacturers Surge as Supply Chain Risk Grows

Research shows ransomware attacks on manufacturers surged (~40% year‑over‑year in the first seven months of 2026), with Europe seeing an especially large increase; attackers favor midmarket industrial targets because production downtime and supply‑chain ripple effects increase pressure to pay. The report details common tactics (double‑extortion, reconnaissance of internet‑facing systems, exploitation of IT/OT convergence), notes rapid churn and growth of ransomware groups, and recommends mitigations including IT/OT segmentation, offline tested backups, incident‑response rehearsals for production downtime, continuous supplier risk assessment, and strict third‑party access controls.