Nearly one in eight (78%) manufacturing businesses in the UK suffered a serious cyber incident last year, according to research from ESET.

While major incidents like the Jaguar Land Rover event stole headlines and caused major disruptions, this cyber-attack was apparently just one of many affecting the sector.

The data, based on a survey of 500 senior decision-makers handling IT, OT, risk, operations, or security in UK manufacturing, found that almost every one (95%) experienced an attack that had a direct impact on their business.

Over half (53%) also suffered a financial loss from a cyber incident, while 44% faced a supply chain disruption, and 39% reported missed supplier or customer commitments.

When organisations experienced a full or partial shutdown as a result of an attack, 77% suffered for one to seven days, while 56% dealt with one to three days of downtime.

More and more organisations are citing AI as a threat, however, with 46% citing it as a risk, beating out phishing (42%), ransomware (40%), and unauthorised system access (38%).

While cyber professionals are prepared to cite potential threats, one in five say they have limited to no visibility into cyber risks that could disrupt their firms.

Despite major cyber incidents hitting the news and affecting reputations, responsibility for cyber overwhelmingly stays at the IT level.

Only 22% of survey respondents say that cyber accountability has been upgraded to boards or the C-suite, while 55% say it has remained within IT.

Further, about one in five (21%) say that reactive measures are still preferred over preventative measures.

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“If the JLR attack showed us anything, it’s how quickly a cyber incident can shut down production at scale and have major consequences for the business and the wider economy,” said Matt Knell, UK country manager at ESET.

“The real challenge is that many organizations still treat cybersecurity as an IT issue rather than a strategic business decision. When it sits outside the boardroom, it’s harder to prioritize appropriately.”

“What’s striking is that many organizations still see reactive approaches as more economical, despite the evidence to the contrary. With many major incidents resulting in six-figure losses and widespread operational disruption, the cost of reacting after the fact can be significant,” Matt Knell, ESET UK country manager, said.