Cybersecurity and cyberattack recovery costs rise year after year. In the past, manufacturing was not as lucrative a target as the finance, health care or utilities sectors. However, with the rise of information technology (IT) and operational technology (OT) convergence, the target on its back is growing larger. Zero-trust architecture is among the only practical, scalable solutions that can keep pace with cybercriminals, but how do manufacturing professionals implement it?
The Importance of Zero-Trust Architecture in 2025
As technology advances, cyberattacks grow increasingly sophisticated. Simultaneously, industrial systems become more vulnerable as various sectors embrace digitalization, inadvertently expanding their attack surfaces.
The growing adoption of the industrial Internet of Things (IIoT) is driven by IT and OT convergence. Traditionally, OT has not been computerized or connected to a larger network. Instead, it has relied on programmable logic and proprietary protocols, air gapping for security. Interoperable, internet-connected systems are a big change.
Experts have noticed a recent uptick in prepositioning, where bad actors lie in wait, undetected, instead of immediately taking action after successfully infiltrating a network. They aim to move laterally, compromising more devices over days, weeks, or months to increase their attack’s range and damage.
Even with continuous monitoring, these discreet attacks often go undetected. The average time to detect and contain a breach is approximately 260 days as of 2025. Although this number has steadily decreased since 2021, the growing cost of cybersecurity incidents offsets any gains. The global average cost will reach an estimated $5 million per breach in 2025.
Adopting zero-trust strategies for industrial systems is more critical than ever and will only grow increasingly significant as the cybersecurity landscape evolves. The faster manufacturers switch, the sooner they can minimize their breach risk.
5 Implementation Strategies for Industrial Systems
While cybercriminals have traditionally focused on health care and finance, they now focus on industrial sectors. Professionals expect them to adopt novel tactics and tools, expanding cybercrime’s total addressable market in 2025. Those working in manufacturing should implement zero-trust architecture before cyberattack frequency balloons.
1. Consider Risk-Informed Physical Access Controls
Many manufacturing facilities have radio-frequency identification badge scanners tied to employees’ identities. They should go one step further, leveraging physical barriers and surveillance systems to protect areas that house sensitive documents or critical equipment.
2. Apply the Framework to Every User and Device
The traditional cybersecurity model assumes everyone can be trusted forever once access is granted initially, which is outdated. A zero-trust framework won’t be as effective if it excludes entire departments or only applies to certain positions, even those operating on the principle of least privilege will be vulnerable.
Inherently trusting no one is this architecture’s core principle. Decision-makers should apply zero trust to every user and device, from entry-level employees wrapping up onboarding to tenured executives. Accountability will get personal, so following through with enforcement and reprimands may be daunting, but it is necessary.
3. Divide the Industrial Network Into Small Segments
Network segmentation divides the industrial network into smaller segments, //medium.com/@zemim/7-network-segmentation-security-best-practices-38f8456265de">minimizing the potential damage bad actors can cause. It hinders lateral movement to keep malicious traffic away from unprotected endpoints, which is vital for IIoT-based settings. Internet-connected devices should be isolated because they are particularly vulnerable to infiltration.
4. Facilitate Communication Between IT and OT
Typically, there is little overlap between OT and IT teams, making collaboration challenging. However, they must get used to communicating to hold each other accountable while operating on the principle of least privilege. Early cross-training and regular meetings can help.
5. Develop a Comprehensive Asset Inventory
Professionals can only secure something if they know it exists. A comprehensive asset inventory will help protect the industrial control system (ICS) environment or supervisory control and data acquisition system (SCADA). IT and OT teams can use their knowledge to deploy virtual firewalls and multifactor authentication (MFA).
If they effectively define and manage all ICS network and SCADA system interconnections, they enable continuous monitoring and threat detection. Greater visibility allows them to isolate critical systems and processes, preventing unplanned downtime.
Obstacles to Overcome Before Implementation
A chain is only as strong as its weakest link — people. Requiring employees to sign in, verify their identity and use MFA repeatedly will introduce friction into everyday processes, making them less likely to follow security protocol. Moreover, technological advances like artificial intelligence will make social engineering harder to detect, creating insider threats.
IT and OT leaders cannot ignore the human element. Instead of relying on slideshows and infographics to instill best practices in workers, they should assume everyone is an insider threat and act accordingly. Stress-testing the zero-trust framework to prevent workarounds and identify indicators of apathy can help them recognize potentially dangerous behavior early on, preventing minor problems from snowballing.
Whether or not to upgrade legacy technology is another primary consideration. Adopting a zero-trust approach requires an overhaul of operational and security workflows, which may necessitate a change to the tech stack. Professionals should do so during planned downtime or off-hours to avoid impacting production.
The process will be much more seamless if the facility has cross-functional teams. The invisible boundary separating the factory floor from information security has vanished. Both teams must have a shared understanding of their connection, covering everything from data exchange protocols to local network permissions.
Using Zero-Trust Framework for Industrial Systems
Adopting a zero-trust framework ensures operational resilience by preventing unplanned downtime and maintaining operational continuity — a boon, considering how costly production delays can be. It can also lower the cost of cybersecurity since professionals spend less time chasing the source of breaches and putting out metaphorical fires.
Both IT and OT leaders are involved in implementing zero trust in industrial settings. Their continued collaboration is vital for making organization-wide efforts as effective as possible. They should work together to tailor these strategies into facility-specific solutions, allowing them to identify and mitigate real-world threats more efficiently.
