Cyberthreats Target Legacy Systems in Manufacturing

Digital Transformation and Legacy OT Systems Joshua Cunningham-Marsh • January 12, 2026

Legacy OT systems now face heightened exposure as manufacturers accelerate digital transformation. With ransomware attacks up nearly 90% year-over-year, cybersecurity leaders warn that "silver bullet" solutions fall short. Operational resilience must be built on a foundation of diverse tools, human readiness and cross-functional coordination.

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ManuSec Europe 2026 brings together CISOs, security practitioners and strategists to explore pragmatic steps manufacturers can take today, including compensating controls, IT and OT cross-training between teams, and building a culture of ownership over rigid incident playbooks. Overly centralized programs and tool uniformity only compound vulnerabilities in high-utilization environments, according to a panel of conference speakers.

"We've created all of this, and now we’re in a big mess in cyberspace,” said Trish McGill, cybersecurity strategist in the manufacturing sector. "The basics have ...