How to Build DDoS Protection for Manufacturing?

According to studies, 1 in every 5 manufacturers worldwide are exposed to DDoS attacks.

Such attacks can have a serious impact on your business, in terms of system downtime, loss of sensitive data, and additional costs to get things back online.

Therefore, you need to think about DDoS protection for manufacturing. In this article, we will talk about how to prevent DDoS attacks in manufacturing networks, which platforms to use and how to use them. 

What is a DDoS attack?

A DDoS or a Distributed Denial of Service is a cyberattack where multiple systems flood a target (like a website or server) with so much traffic it becomes slow or completely unavailable. 

How can DDoS attacks threaten your manufacturing operations?

So, why should you build DDoS protection for manufacturing? Here are some of the ways in which such attacks can compromise your networks. 

They Can Cause Your Integrated System to Breakdown 

Every manufacturing company we have worked with runs on complex and integrated systems. Most manufacturers have: 

• Multiple ERP, CRM and similar systems 

• A complex IoT network 

• SCADA and other industrial controls. 

A DDoS attack can block communication between such systems, and that can cause the entire infrastructure to breakdown. 

Compromise Your Systems that Need to be ‘Always On’ 

Unlike certain companies, manufacturers cannot wait until a DDoS attack hits. Because once it knocks out the systems that you rely on: 

• Production gets halted 

• Shipments get delayed 

• In worst cases, you might also incur penalties 

This is why you need to have enterprise DDoS protection for industrial systems to protect such systems that always need to perform at their best. 

Easily Hits Your Legacy Systems 

This is again something that we have personally experienced. Most manufacturers often run on: 

• Legacy systems that are not always optimized for security 

• Modern cloud apps 

This creates an uneven defense layer that attackers can easily exploit. 

Common Issues that Many Manufacturers Miss

We have often seen clients delay their decisions to get DDoS protection solutions for manufacturing companies. That is not a wise move. Here are some of the recent trends that tell you why it is so important to build a more robust environment. 

• DDoS attacks that exceed 30Tbps have become more common. Even if you are a large organization, an attack on such a scale can be disastrous. 

• More than 89% of attacks last under 10 minutes. So, they are fast, targeted, making it hard to react to. 
• Downtime costs can easily reach up to $10000 per minute. It can impact your production lines, logistics, and supply chains. 

Our multi-layer approach to DDoS protection for manufacturing

Thanks to our experience in helping to build DDoS protection for manufacturing, we realize that you cannot stop DDoS inside your network. You must stop it before it reaches you. 

At Evolvous, we build multiple layer cloud-based DDoS protection for manufacturing firms. 

Layer 1: Edge Protection with Akamai

The edge computing and security solutions from Akamai can be highly effective in building your first line of defense. It is one of the largest distributed edge networks globally. 

Here is how Akamai security for manufacturing can help you: 

Absorb Massive Traffic 

With the help of the Akamai Edge computing: 

• Distributes incoming traffic across global nodes. 

• It also effectively prevents overloading at a single point 

This is critical for multi-terabit DDoS attacks as it can handle the surge. 

Intelligent Traffic Filtering 

We help you set up Akamai security so that it can: 

• Identifies malicious patterns in real time. 

• Blocks botnets before they reach your system servers. 

Application Layer Protection 

Most DDoS attacks target APIs and applications that you use. With our customized Akamai solutions for manufacturing, you can protect your: 

• Login endpoints 

• Supplier portals 

• Production dashboards 

When we set the first layer up, the attack never reaches the organization’s firewall. 

Layer 2: Internal Security with Microsoft

Edge protection with Akamai is step one. But most attackers combine DDoS with secondary attacks. To protect against such threats, we leverage Microsoft security stacks. 

Microsoft Defender

This allows you to detect where DDoS is hiding. 

DDoS is often used as a distraction attack. While systems are overwhelmed, attackers can deploy malware or steal credentials. 

With Microsoft Defender, you can: 

• Detect abnormal behavior. 
• Analyze security signals across endpoints. 

Explore MS Defender

Microsoft Azure DDoS Protection

This platform is highly effective for native cloud-level mitigation. 

If you are already using Azure as a manufacturing, then we can help you with: 

• Automatic traffic scrubbing. 

• Adaptive security tuning based on traffic patterns. 

Microsoft Intune

This gives you control on company- and employee-owned devices. 

Many attacks originate from compromised devices that have access to your sensitive data. 

Intune ensures: 

• Only secure and compliant devices can access data. 

• IoT endpoints are controlled. 

Explore Intune

This protects what matters during an attack 

Even when your system is disrupted after an attack, Intune helps you to: 

• Govern your sensitive data 

• Control document access 

Explore Purview

Download FREE eBook on IoT Security for Manufacturing

Discover innovative strategies to protect your manufacturing IoT network. Read more about it in our eBook. 

Download FREE eBook

How Have We Helped Businesses Like You?

We have been helping develop DDoS mitigation strategies for the manufacturing sector, working with clients from different locations and verticals.  

Here are some of the ways in which we have helped manufacturing businesses 

Build DDoS Protection on the Edge 

• Deploy and configure Akamai for constant threat mitigation. 

• Route all external traffic through edge filtering layers 

• Limit origin exposure so that your servers are never directly hit. 

Identify Hidden Attack Surfaces 

Map all ‘external-facing’ systems, like: 

1. ERP systems 
2. Vendor access points 
3. APIs and analytics dashboards 

Detect ‘shadow endpoints’ that are easily missed in internal security audits. 

Analyze Baseline and Malicious Traffic 

• Establish traffic behavior patterns 

• Configure rules that adapt to real time changes. 

Reduce Downtime Risk  

• Define latency thresholds. 

• Build failover redundancy into critical applications. 

• Continuously optimize performance under stress conditions 

We are a certified Akamai partner and Microsoft consultant, which makes us qualified to handle complex configurations and customizations based on the platform. 

Our Success Story: How we helped a Canadian manufacturer build a more robust DDoS Protection System

A mid-sized manufacturing company faced repetitive disruptions on its supplier portal, especially during peak order cycles. This led to frequent delays in order processing and a negative impact on revenue. 

We implemented edge-based protection by utilizing Akamai, integrated with Microsoft Defender and Azure DDoS protection. This minimized the threat from DDoS and similar ransomware attacks. 

After successful implementation of the integrated system, we achieved: 

• Up to 92% reduction in malicious traffic 

• Up to 37% improvement in application response time 

• Up to 3X reduction in downtime 

How can you get started on the strategy?

Together with our certified team of consultants, you can start building a strategy for better DDoS protection. 

Here are some of the steps that you can take: 

• Connect with our team to discuss your needs and how our solutions can meet them. 

• Signup for our envisioning workshop where you can get on a one-on-one session with our experts to know more about the platform and how they fit your requirements. 

• Get 50% off on your first Proof of Concept (PoC) to discover how our solution can work to tackle your real-world problems. 

Reduce Exposure by More than 80% with Smarter DDoS Protection for Manufacturing

Contact team today and build robust strategies that help you reduce exposure to DDoS and other sophisticated cyber threats. 

Get Started Today 

Frequently Asked Questions

• How does DDoS protection for manufacturing differ from others? 

Manufacturing environments combine different systems. It can impact multiple systems and that leads to multifaceted problems. That is why protection must extend beyond firewalls. 

• How quickly can I protect my business? 

The entire security set up can take anywhere from 30 days to 3 months. It depends on the existing infrastructure and complexity of the project. 

• Will this protect me from all kinds of attacks? 

Your organization might be exposed to several risks. Dealing with them is practically impossible for one system. We will assess your needs and then recommend the right system for your business.