Manufacturing Penetration Testing Services
Manufacturers supporting the U.S. Department of Defense face security requirements that extend beyond traditional enterprise IT. Defense suppliers may need to protect Controlled Unclassified Information (CUI) across engineering workstations, production systems, file servers, cloud environments, and connected manufacturing infrastructure. CMMC assessments align with applicable security requirements, including NIST SP 800-171 for organizations subject to Level 2 requirements.
Manufacturing Needs More Than a Vulnerability Scan
Manufacturing was the most attacked industry globally for the fifth consecutive year, accounting for 27.7% of cyberattack cases observed in 2025. Public-facing applications were the top route into manufacturing networks, accounting for 32% of cases.
These figures highlight why traditional vulnerability scanning alone may not provide enough context for manufacturing environments. A penetration test validates whether identified weaknesses can actually be exploited and how an attacker could move from an exposed system toward higher-value assets across applications, connected environments, remote access, and other systems supporting production.
Secure the Systems That Keep Manufacturing Moving
Production-Critical Systems
Testing covers the applications, servers, and infrastructure that support production, finding exploitable weaknesses before they reach the line.
Connected Operational Environments
Testing reviews operational technology, connected devices, and supporting infrastructure across your plant.
Supplier and Third-Party Connections
Testing traces what remote access, vendor integrations, and connected systems can reach inside your production environment.
The IT/OT Boundary
Testing maps where corporate IT crosses into the plant floor and whether segmentation holds under real attack paths.
Understand Your Manufacturing Cyber Risk Before Attackers Do
Security Insights That Support Better Operational Decisions
Understand which systems present the greatest business risk, allowing security, IT, and operations teams to align remediation with manufacturing priorities instead of treating every finding equally.
Every recommendation explains what to fix and why it matters to production, operational resilience, and the broader manufacturing environment.
Leave the engagement with prioritized next steps, technical guidance, and the confidence to improve your security posture with your operational requirements in mind.
Find Weaknesses before They Reach the Production Floor
Manufacturing environments change constantly through new production technologies, supplier integrations, connected equipment, cloud adoption, and infrastructure updates. Each change can introduce new security exposure.
Schedule penetration testing before major technology deployments, facility expansions, supplier integrations, cloud migrations, or significant infrastructure changes. Testing at these points gives security and operations teams an opportunity to identify exploitable weaknesses and address them before they affect manufacturing processes.
What Manufacturers Need to Know Before Testing
Why is penetration testing important for manufacturing organizations?
Manufacturing environments rely on interconnected production systems, enterprise applications, supplier networks, and operational technology to maintain daily operations. Penetration testing identifies exploitable security weaknesses before they can disrupt production, expose intellectual property, or affect critical business processes.
Which manufacturing assets should testing prioritize?
Testing typically prioritizes internet-facing applications, ERP platforms, Manufacturing Execution Systems (MES), supplier portals, cloud environments, production support systems, and other business-critical assets. Your operational priorities and risk profile shape the final scope.
How does penetration testing work around production operations?
Your operational requirements and rules of engagement shape every engagement. Testers coordinate every activity around your production schedule, and your team sets boundaries and stop points before testing begins. Sensitive systems can stay out of scope or follow added testing restrictions when needed.
Can the engagement cover both enterprise IT and operational technology (OT)?
Yes, the engagement can assess enterprise IT systems, operational technology environments, supporting infrastructure, and connected applications, based on your requirements. Your team and the testers set the scope during planning to match your production environment and business objectives.
When is the best time to schedule a manufacturing penetration test, and how can manufacturers get the most value from it?
The best time is before deploying new production technologies, expanding facilities, introducing supplier integrations, migrating to the cloud, or making significant infrastructure changes. Manufacturers get the greatest value when they align the assessment with business priorities, define a clear scope, involve key stakeholders early, and use findings to drive ongoing remediation.
What security risks show up most often in manufacturing environments?
Common findings include insecure remote access, exposed internet-facing applications, weak authentication controls, vulnerable APIs, cloud misconfigurations, third-party integration risks, network segmentation issues, and other weaknesses that could affect production or business operations.
How do testers prioritize findings?
Testers rank findings by exploitability, business impact, and the criticality of the affected manufacturing systems. This approach helps security and operations teams focus remediation where it delivers the greatest operational value.
Can penetration testing help reduce production downtime?
Yes, penetration testing finds exploitable vulnerabilities before attackers use them, lowering the likelihood of security incidents that could interrupt production, delay manufacturing processes, or impact operational availability.
Can penetration testing help strengthen supply chain security?
Your team should identify the systems in scope, define business priorities, nominate key technical contacts, and share any operational constraints or production schedules that testing needs to work around.
What should our team prepare before a penetration testing engagement?
Your team should identify the systems to be assessed, define business priorities, nominate key technical contacts, and communicate any operational constraints or production schedules that should be considered during testing.
Who should take part in a manufacturing penetration testing engagement?
Successful engagements typically involve security teams, IT administrators, infrastructure owners, application teams, and, where applicable, operational technology personnel. Involving the right stakeholders helps streamline testing, validate findings, and accelerate remediation.
How long does a manufacturing penetration testing engagement take?
The timeline depends on the number and complexity of systems in scope, the testing approach, and operational constraints. Your team and the testers set the timeline during planning, so testing, reporting, and stakeholder walkthroughs fit around your manufacturing schedule.