Manufacturing sector: ‘Attacks have increased in multiple regions’

ISLAMABAD: A global cyber security company disclosed Thursday that the attacks on the manufacturing sector during first quarter of 2026 has been increased in multiple regions, warning Pakistani companies to improve their cybersecurity controls.

According to a new Kaspersky ICS CERT report, in first quarter-2026 the percentage of industrial control systems (ICS) on which malicious objects were blocked reached 19.6 percent globally. Kaspersky security solutions blocked malware from 10,052 different malware families of various categories on industrial automation systems. Regionally, the share of ICS computers that were attacked ranged from 27.4 percent in Africa to 9.1 percent in Northern Europe. Compared to the previous quarter, attacks on the manufacturing sector in Q1 increased in multiple regions, including in Europe and Asia.

In terms of overall numbers across all industry sectors, five regions saw an increase in the share of attacked ICS computers in Q1 2026 compared to the previous quarter. These were Southern Europe, Russia, Northern Europe, Canada and Africa.

In first quarter, biometric systems traditionally placed first in terms of the share of ICS computers on which malicious objects were blocked, at 26.4 percent. These systems commonly have internet access, are used for email, and, in many cases, have minimal cybersecurity controls within the organizations that use these systems. Regionally, Southern Europe leads the ranking based on the percentage figures for biometric systems, at 35.15 percent. Africa follows at 29.58 percent, and Central Asia comes in third at 28.53 percent.

Copyright Business Recorder, 2026