MANUFACTURING CYBER RISK STORY #1
The Identity Crisis: Why Manufacturing Risk Starts with Credentials
Identity risk grows when weak credentials, excessive access and inconsistent governance create trusted pathways attackers can exploit across manufacturing environments.
Why has identity become a leading manufacturing cyber-risk?
Across 21 manufacturers, the average organization carried 10.6 high-risk issues. At the high end, one manufacturer carried 19 high-risk issues, while the safest performer had only 2. The standard deviation was 4.5, showing that while many organizations cluster near the middle, meaningful outliers exist in both directions.
Accent Consulting’s assessment of 21 manufacturers found that 54% of all identified issues were identity-related, making credentials, password policy and access governance the largest concentration of cyber risk in the environments reviewed. That matters because identity is not a side issue — it is the control layer behind remote access, administrative permissions, sensitive systems and production-connected infrastructure. In many manufacturing environments, the most significant risk was not a sophisticated attack, it was identity credentialing that had become too easy to misuse.
54%
Of Issues Are
Identity-Related
877
Credential
Issues Identified
201
Non-Expiring
Passwords
78
Credentials Exposed
on the Dark Web
IDENTITY RISK OVERVIEW
Why identity security matters in manufacturing?
Cybersecurity in manufacturing is not only about stopping outside attackers. It is also about controlling who already has access to critical systems and data.
Identity governs access to production systems, intellectual property, customer and vendor data, remote support tools, administrative controls and production-connected infrastructure. When credentials are weak or poorly governed, other security controls become easier to bypass. That is why identity sits at the center of trust in manufacturing environments.
What makes this especially important is that attackers do not always need to exploit a system directly. If they can authenticate with valid credentials, they may gain the same access legitimate users rely on every day. Protecting manufacturing systems starts with protecting the identities that can reach them.
WHAT THE DATA SHOWED
What identity findings reveal in the manufacturing industry.
The identity data showed that this is not a secondary issue. It was the single largest concentration of cyber risk across the manufacturers assessed. Accent Consulting found that 54% of all issues were identity-related, with 877 credential issues identified overall.
Among the most concerning findings, 201 users had passwords that never expire, 78 credentials were already found on the dark web and 134 admin accounts had passwords that never expire. These are not isolated technical details. They are signs of trusted access that may be easier to misuse than many organizations realize.
For many manufacturers, cyber risk does not begin with an advanced exploit or sophisticated attack chain. It begins with weak, overused, exposed or poorly governed credentials that are already trusted by the environment. So, the problem is often not just how an attacker gets in. It is how much access already exists once a credential is compromised.
WHAT LEADERS SHOULD DO NEXT
Where manufacturers should start to reduce cyber risk.
Manufacturers improve cybersecurity when they treat identity as a control layer, not an administrative task. Stronger organizations reduce standing trust, protect privileged accounts first, assume credentials will be targeted and build recurring access reviews into normal operations.
A practical next step is to audit account password expiration policies, implement MFA for admin and privileged accounts, run dark web credential checks, deploy password management tools, review dormant and high-risk accounts and establish recurring access reviews for employees and vendors. These are not theoretical best practices. They are direct responses to the patterns found in real manufacturing environments.
Identity risk is one of the most measurable and actionable parts of manufacturing cybersecurity. Addressing the issue helps reduce unauthorized access to PLCs, production-connected systems and other critical environments by limiting the reach of compromised or over trusted accounts.
WHERE DOES THE EXPOSURE COME FROM
Why identity risk persists in manfufacturing?
Manufacturing environments are especially vulnerable to identity sprawl because access often grows faster than it is governed. Accounts are created for shift workers, administrators, vendors, technicians, engineers and support teams. Shared workstations become routine. Legacy systems stay in place. Privileged access is granted for practical reasons and reviewed less often than it should.
Over time, those conditions create persistent exposure. Non-expiring passwords leave access paths in place longer than intended. Exposed credentials on the dark web create immediate attacker opportunity. Admin accounts with permanent passwords raise the stakes even further because they expand the impact of a compromise.
The biggest identity challenges in manufacturing typically include non-expiring passwords, old accounts, privileged or shared access with weak oversight, exposed credentials and vendor access that lasts longer than intended. These risks do not stay isolated. They increase the danger of remote access abuse, make remediation harder to contain and widen the path to operational disruption.
TURN INSIGHTS INTO ACTON
What You Can Do Next
Why is identity risk so important in manufacturing cybersecurity?
Because identity controls access to critical systems, sensitive data, remote support pathways and administrative functions. When credentials are weak or poorly governed, other controls become easier to bypass.
What are the biggest identity challenges in manufacturing
Manufacturers often face identity challenges such as shared credentials, vendor access sprawl, stale accounts and inconsistent password enforcement. These conditions are driven by operational needs, legacy systems and distributed environments. The challenge is not just technical — it is maintaining control as access grows and evolves.
Why are credentials and passwords still a major risk?
Because they create direct access paths into systems. Weak, reused or exposed credentials allow attackers to authenticate instead of exploit. The findings included 201 non-expiring passwords and 78 credentials already on the dark web, showing that identity risk often exists before an attack even begins.
How should manufacturers manage vendor access securely?
Vendor access is necessary in manufacturing, but it also introduces one of the most complex identity risks. Third-party credentials are often shared, long-lived or poorly governed — creating access that is broader and less visible than intended. Manufacturers can reduce this risk by issuing named accounts, requiring MFA, making access time-bound and regularly reviewing vendor activity and ownership.
What are cybersecurity best practices for managing identity?
Effective identity security starts with visibility, enforcement and ongoing review. Organizations reduce risk by maintaining a clear inventory of users and access levels, enforcing password and MFA policies, prioritizing privileged accounts and regularly validating that access still aligns to business need. The goal is not perfection, but reducing unnecessary and unmanaged access across the environment.
TAKE ACTION
Close the identity gaps that matter most.
Prioritize password controls, admin account oversight and recurring access reviews across the organization.