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Approximately 30% of business executives have witnessed a noticeable surge in cyber-attacks targeting their logistics networks during the previous half-year, as high-profile cyber breaches on major corporations have highlighted this expanding threat to contemporary enterprises.

Cyber threats climb concern rankings for procurement managers

Cybersecurity threats have advanced the list of concerns for supply chain executives at multiple businesses globally across multiple sectors including manufacturing, energy and IT, according to recent industry research performed in the ninth month.

High-profile cyber incidents lead to substantial economic damage

Current digital intrusions at multiple well-known businesses have resulted in losses of tens of millions of currency, moving cyber resilience from being mostly the responsibility of technology teams to becoming a major priority for senior management and top executives.

The nature of international commerce, the way we look at international logistics networks and the digital supply environment are progressively linked,

commented a leading sector leader.

Geopolitical elements compound distribution worries

In the first half, purchasing directors were notably worried about international tensions, including continuing conflicts in various areas, along with commercial regulations that weighed on international trade.

However, online attacks are now matching geopolitical shocks and commercial conflicts as the primary risk for participants of worldwide commercial organizations.

Research shows widespread effect

The research revealed that nearly 30% of executives reported that companies within their supply chains had been attacked by digital attacks in the past few months.

Major car manufacturing impact

One prominent vehicle producer experienced manufacturing stoppages and was unable to produce vehicles for a full month, following a cyber-attack that forced the organization to turn off digital infrastructure across multiple overseas operations.

The financial consequences of this month-long factory closure at the United Kingdom's primary vehicle producer has been estimated at approximately 120 million pounds in foregone income, or £1.7 billion in foregone income, according to expert assessment from a business economics expert.

Latest worldwide cases

In late September, a well-known Japanese brewing group became the most recent organization to be compelled to cease operations at its local plants following a digital breach.

The company, which maintains several industrial sites in Japan producing beer and additional items, announced that its transaction handling functions, along with delivery systems and customer service functions, had been disrupted following a network disruption resulting from the cyber-attack.

Expanding connectivity creates vulnerabilities

Businesses are more and more assisted by other organizations. Gone are the era of considering an company as an operation functioning in isolation.

Recent high-profile digital breaches have acted as a clear warning to companies to invest in robust digital defences, to protect their business activities and preserve consumer trust, prompting them to analyze how their logistics networks could become likely focus points for digital attackers.