34 | Plant & Works Engineering www.pwemag.co.uk October/November 2026 Special Focus Industrial Security Legacy tools under strain Traditional tools built on signature updates or static rules were never designed to match the pace or instability of modern attacks. AI alters code constantly and reshapes its own signals in ways that unsettle tools which depend on stable, recognisable patterns. Automated scripts test weak points at high frequency and generate rapid chains of intrusion attempts that leave teams sifting through alerts. This creates a landscape where familiar tools still have value yet struggle to provide the confidence that many organisations need when adversaries no longer work at human speed. In engineering and manufacturing environments, this pressure is often intensified by a mix of legacy systems, specialist equipment and networks that were never designed for constant exposure. Recent analysis from security researchers reports “78% of CISOs now admit AIpowered cyber-threats are having a significant impact on their organisation”, which reinforces the growing limitations of traditional controls. Rising impact in Britain Across the UK the impact is already visible. The Cyber Security Breaches Survey 2025 shows that organisations reporting a breach face a mean cost of £3550 for their most disruptive incident, while a governmentcommissioned study places the wider economic impact of cyber attacks at around £14.7 billion each year. These figures show Why traditional cyber defences are no longer enough Ransomware groups and criminal networks now use automated toolkits that move with a speed few organisations can match. Nathan Charles, Head of Customer Experience at managed IT and cyber security partner OryxAlign, explores why traditional defences are losing ground as attackers adopt AI-enabled methods, and how engineering and manufacturing organisations can adapt their security strategies to stay resilient.
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