Charles Henderson, head of IBM X-Force, said: Charles Henderson, head of IBM X-Force, said: "Businesses should recognize that vulnerabilities are holding them in a deadlock — as ransomware actors use that to their advantage. This is a non-binary challenge." (Credit: the_lightwriter/Adobe Stock)

Manufacturing was the industry most targeted by hackers during 2021, accounting for 23.2% of incidents, according to IBM Security X-Force research. The sector edged out insurance and financial services by a slim margin.

IBM reported hackers are pressuring manufacturers into paying ransoms by leveraging the downstream impact that occurs when production is disrupted. However, the industry can do more to protect itself as the research found 47% of attacks were caused by system vulnerabilities that either were not yet or couldn't be patched.

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Steve Hallo

Steve Hallo is managing editor of PropertyCasualty360.com. He can be reached at [email protected]