Kory Daniels, Chief Security & Trust Officer At LevelBlue, On Why Manufacturing Cyber Resilience Must Start With Security By Design

Deepfakes represent a new frontier in cyber risk because they exploit the most human element of security: trust. As AI becomes more sophisticated, criminals and malicious individuals can easily generate convincing audio, video, and text content to impersonate executives, manipulate trusted relationships, or influence public brand narratives. Manufacturers, with their complex operational ecosystems and reliance on vendor coordination, are particularly vulnerable to this kind of deception. To defend against deepfakes, the industry must treat AI-powered social engineering as a business risk, not just a technical one. That means integrating verification protocols into communications, leveraging AI-driven detection tools, and expanding employee awareness beyond traditional phishing to include synthetic content recognition.

This marks one of the most encouraging strategic shifts in the sector. By embedding security at the start of innovation, manufacturers are recognizing that cybersecurity isn’t a bolt-on; it’s a design principle. This early investment reduces technical debt, minimizes downstream vulnerabilities, and ensures products enter the market more resilient by design. It’s also a sign that cybersecurity is becoming a shared responsibility across engineering, R&D, and operations, a change that’s essential as connected products and smart factories become the norm.

Measuring leadership on cybersecurity outcomes fundamentally changes accountability. When cybersecurity performance is tied to executive KPIs, it drives alignment between IT, operations, and the business. Leaders begin to see cybersecurity not as an obstacle to innovation, but as a core enabler of trust and continuity. This is helping reshape boardroom dynamics, where security discussions are increasingly data-driven, risk-based, and integrated into strategic planning rather than being treated as isolated technical updates.

Asset visibility is the foundation of resilience. Over half of organizations report low visibility into their software supply chain, and you can’t defend what you can’t see. Manufacturers should start by mapping their critical suppliers and assessing each partner’s security posture. Practical steps include requiring suppliers to provide security credentials or attestations, incorporating cybersecurity clauses into contracts, and leveraging continuous monitoring platforms to detect vulnerabilities or anomalous activity across vendor ecosystems. Collaboration, not isolation, is key to reducing systemic risk.

Resilient manufacturers will be those that integrate cybersecurity into every operational layer, from product design to supply chain management and employee culture. They’ll leverage automation, AI, and predictive analytics to move from reactive defense to proactive risk management. In contrast, vulnerable organizations will remain trapped in legacy systems, reactive mindsets, and siloed IT/OT operations. Cyber-resilience will increasingly be a competitive differentiator, not just a compliance metric.

Innovation and security can no longer be viewed as opposing forces. The most successful manufacturers will embed security as an enabler of innovation, ensuring that every new automation or AI initiative is built with security by design. As AI transforms both threat landscapes and defense strategies, security teams will become co-architects of innovation. The balance will come from collaboration between R&D, operations, and cybersecurity to ensure that the pursuit of efficiency never compromises trust or safety.