A survey by manufacturing lobby group MakeUK has found that nearly a third of British manufacturers were hit by a cyber-attack on themselves or a supply-chain partner in the past year, underlining the growing hacking threat facing UK industry. The findings come almost a year after Jaguar Land Rover, Britain's largest automotive employer, was forced to halt production for weeks following a major cyber-attack, illustrating how such incidents can cause severe and costly disruption. Concerningly, only half of manufacturers surveyed said they had a plan in place to respond to an attack, even as hackers, often state-backed, grow more numerous and sophisticated, and as generative AI tools add new urgency to the threat.

The MakeUK report found 30% of 123 manufacturers surveyed had experienced a cyber-incident in the past year, with about 30% of those affected reporting delivery delays or output cuts, and nearly a quarter facing supplier delays or shortages of components and materials. The JLR attack, which began at the end of August last year, is estimated by the Cyber Monitoring Centre to have cost the UK economy at least £1.9bn, likely making it Britain's most expensive cyber incident, with reports pointing to Russian hackers as responsible. The government estimates cybercrime costs the UK economy £14.7bn annually, and other recent victims include FTSE 100 firms IMI and Smiths Group, plus retailers Marks & Spencer, the Co-op and Harrods. Jonathon Ellison of the National Cyber Security Centre said manufacturers must treat cybersecurity as "business-critical".