For decades, manufacturing security focused on perimeter fences, safety protocols, and keeping production lines running. Cybersecurity lived quietly in the server room, far removed from the factory floor. That separation no longer exists.

Modern manufacturing environments are deeply interconnected ecosystems where IT systems, operational technology (OT), industrial control systems (ICS), IoT sensors, and human operators all converge. This convergence has created enormous efficiency, but it has also expanded the attack surface dramatically.

Red teaming is no longer optional for manufacturers. It is one of the few security practices capable of testing how a real attacker could move from the server room to the shop floor and disrupt production, safety, and revenue.

Why Manufacturing Is a Prime Target in 2026

Manufacturers are increasingly attractive to attackers for three key reasons:

High operational impact – Even short downtime can cost millions in lost production.
Legacy OT systems – Many plants rely on outdated PLCs, HMIs, and SCADA systems never designed with security in mind.
Complex supply chains – A single compromised vendor or contractor can become an entry point into core systems.

Attackers understand that manufacturing environments often prioritize uptime over security. Red teaming exposes where that trade-off becomes dangerous.

What Red Teaming Looks Like in Manufacturing Environments

Red teaming in manufacturing goes far beyond traditional network penetration tests. It simulates real-world adversaries who exploit both digital and physical weaknesses.

Key focus areas include:

IT-to-OT pivoting – Can an attacker move from corporate IT networks into production systems?
ICS and SCADA exploitation – Are control systems exposed, misconfigured, or insufficiently segmented?
Physical access testing – Can someone walk onto the shop floor, access control cabinets, or connect rogue devices?
Third-party and contractor abuse – How much access do vendors really have, and how closely is it monitored?
Social engineering – Will employees bypass procedures under pressure to keep production running?

The goal is not disruption for its own sake, but insight into how a real attacker would operate under real constraints.

From Server Room to Shop Floor: Common Attack Paths

Red team exercises in manufacturing frequently uncover repeat patterns:

Phishing a corporate user → accessing ERP systems → discovering OT credentials reused across environments
Compromised VPN access → lateral movement into engineering workstations
Physical tailgating → access to unsecured control rooms or network ports
Poorly segmented networks → direct access to PLCs from IT environments

These attack paths reveal a hard truth: manufacturing security failures are rarely isolated. They are systemic.

Safety, Not Just Security: The OT Reality

Unlike traditional IT environments, manufacturing attacks can have physical consequences:

Equipment damage
Product quality issues
Worker safety risks
Environmental incidents

Red teaming helps organizations test whether safety systems, monitoring, and incident response plans hold up under realistic adversarial conditions before an attacker tests them for real.

Turning Red Team Findings Into Operational Resilience

A successful red team engagement should deliver more than a technical report. For manufacturers, the real value lies in translating findings into operational improvements:

Strengthening IT/OT network segmentation
Tightening physical access controls on the shop floor
Improving vendor access governance
Updating incident response plans to include OT scenarios
Aligning cybersecurity priorities with production leadership

When red team insights are shared across engineering, operations, IT, and executive leadership, security becomes a shared responsibility, not a siloed function.

Why Manufacturers Need Continuous Adversarial Testing

Manufacturing environments evolve constantly: new machinery, new vendors, and new automation platforms. Static security assessments cannot keep up.

Continuous or recurring red team exercises allow manufacturers to:

Validate security controls after process changes
Test readiness against emerging threats
Measure improvement over time
Build muscle memory across teams

This is how security matures from compliance-driven to resilience-driven.

Conclusion

The line between cyber and physical risk in manufacturing has disappeared. Attacks no longer stop at firewalls; they travel through networks, people, and processes until they reach the production line.

Red teaming gives manufacturers a controlled way to see their environment through an attacker’s eyes, from the server room to the shop floor. The result is not fear but clarity and the ability to protect what matters most: safety, uptime, and trust.

In modern manufacturing, security is no longer just an IT issue. It is an operational imperative.

From Server Rooms to Shop Floors: Red Teaming for Manufacturing Environments