Cybercriminals have intensified their attacks on the manufacturing sector, exploiting vulnerabilities in operational technology (OT) networks and OT/IT convergence to cripple production lines. The 2022 IBM Security X-Force Threat Intelligence Index1 revealed a disturbing trend – manufacturing was the most targeted industry in 2021, surpassing even financial services. The report found a 33 percent year-over-year increase in attacks leveraging unpatched software vulnerabilities, which accounted for a staggering 44 percent of all observed ransomware attacks.