Operational technology security is becoming a more important business issue as cyber incidents increasingly affect production, supply chains and revenue, not just data.
The September 2025 cyber incident at Jaguar Land Rover showed the scale of that risk. The attack started in the IT environment, but production and retail operations were shut down as a precaution. The disruption lasted for more than a month and affected a wide supplier network. The source estimates the total economic impact at £1.9 billion, with most of the damage linked to operational disruption.
Attackers do not need to take direct control of industrial equipment to cause major financial damage. If the IT systems that support manufacturing are unavailable, production can still stop.
The focus is no longer only on protecting programmable logic controllers or other specialist OT systems. It also includes the infrastructure around them, including networks, remote access, identity systems and the digital services needed to keep production running.
Third-party access is another significant weakness. Suppliers, engineering contractors, managed service providers and remote-access providers can all create routes into industrial environments. A compromised third party can provide attackers with access to systems that would otherwise be difficult to reach.
Ransomware remains a major concern because many industrial sites now depend on shared virtual infrastructure. Supervisory control, engineering applications and operational systems may sit on the same underlying platforms. If those platforms are disrupted, operators can lose visibility or control even if the production equipment itself has not been directly attacked.
Internet-facing infrastructure adds another layer of risk. VPNs, firewalls and routers are common entry points, particularly where credentials are stolen or remote access is poorly managed. This makes the separation between IT and OT environments more important and increases the need to identify which systems are essential to production.
Gattaca plc (LON:GATC) is a specialist recruitment and workforce solutions company headquartered in Fareham, UK. It provides contract and permanent staffing solutions, engineering consultancy, and statement of work (SOW) services. Brands include Matchtech, Gattaca Projects and InfoSec People.
