Cary, NC, April 30, 2026 (GLOBE NEWSWIRE) — INE Security, a global provider of cybersecurity and IT training and certifications, today highlighted the rising operational and financial impact of ransomware attacks across industrial sectors, where downtime can rapidly extend beyond IT disruption to halted production, supply chain delays, and safety risks.
As attacks targeting manufacturing, energy, utilities, and transportation organizations continue to accelerate, INE is urging leaders to treat ransomware preparedness as a business-wide discipline—one that requires coordinated planning, cross-functional execution, and hands-on training across both IT and operational technology (OT) environments.
Ransomware in OT: A Growing Operational Threat
Recent research shows that ransomware targeting industrial organizations increased by 49% year-over-year, impacting more than 3,300 organizations globally. Manufacturing alone accounted for over two-thirds of victims, highlighting how deeply these attacks are affecting operational environments.
At the same time, the financial consequences of downtime continue to escalate. Industry estimates suggest that OT cyber disruptions expose organizations to hundreds of billions of dollars in annual losses, with large-scale incidents capable of driving multi-billion-dollar business interruption costs.
“In industrial environments, ransomware is not just a cybersecurity issue—it’s an operational and financial risk,” said Lindsey Rinehart, Chief Executive Officer at INE. “When production stops, every minute carries a cost. Organizations need teams that can respond quickly and make informed decisions under pressure.”
Why Industrial Environments Are Uniquely Exposed
Industrial control systems (ICS) and OT environments—including SCADA platforms, PLCs, and plant-floor systems—are tightly integrated with physical processes. Unlike traditional IT systems, they cannot always be taken offline, patched, or isolated without affecting production or safety.
Attackers are increasingly exploiting this reality. Research indicates that 78% of OT ransomware incidents originate in IT systems before moving laterally into OT environments, allowing adversaries to disrupt operations without directly targeting industrial protocols.
In many cases, the operational impact stems from disruption to IT and virtualization systems that OT depends on—resulting in loss of visibility, loss of control, and multi-day outages, even when core industrial devices remain untouched.
This convergence of IT and OT risk is forcing organizations to rethink how they prepare for and respond to ransomware incidents.
Downtime: The True Cost of Ransomware
The consequences of ransomware in industrial environments extend far beyond data loss. When critical systems are disrupted, the impact can cascade across the business:
- Production shutdowns and lost revenue
- Supply chain delays and partner disruption
- Regulatory and compliance exposure
- Increased recovery and remediation costs
- Safety risks in critical infrastructure environments
Recent incidents demonstrate the scale of the problem. In one case, a ransomware attack led to hundreds of millions of dollars in lost and delayed revenue, with downstream partners experiencing additional financial impact.
These events reinforce a clear reality: in industrial environments, downtime is not just an IT issue—it is a business continuity crisis.
Preparedness Determines Outcomes
Research also shows that preparedness has a measurable impact. Organizations with strong OT visibility and detection capabilities are able to contain ransomware incidents in an average of 5 days, compared to an industry average of 42 days.
This gap highlights the importance of readiness—not just in tools, but in people and processes.
INE emphasizes that effective ransomware defense requires three foundational capabilities:
- Defined decision frameworks for ransom response, legal coordination, and escalation
- Operational incident response plans that can be executed under real-world conditions
- Cross-functional team alignment across cybersecurity, IT, operations, and leadership
Without these elements in place, response efforts can slow significantly during active incidents, increasing both operational and financial impact.
Training for Real-World Industrial Scenarios
INE stresses that ransomware readiness in industrial environments requires more than awareness. Teams must be prepared to act in complex, high-pressure scenarios where decisions affect both security and operations.
This includes training in:
- Identifying attack paths across IT and OT systems
- Safely isolating affected assets without disrupting critical processes
- Validating backups before restoration
- Managing identity and access risks during incidents
- Coordinating response across technical and business stakeholders
“Teams don’t rise to the occasion during an incident—they fall back on how they’ve trained,” added Rinehart. “In industrial environments, that training must reflect real-world conditions where controlled response is critical to avoiding further disruption.”
Building Resilience Across IT and OT
INE supports organizations in strengthening ransomware readiness through hands-on training that reflects real-world industrial environments. By improving technical skills, decision-making, and cross-team coordination, organizations can reduce the spread of attacks, restore systems more effectively, and limit the broader impact of downtime.
As ransomware threats continue to evolve, industrial organizations face a clear challenge: when critical systems are disrupted, every hour carries operational, financial, and safety consequences.
Learn More
Organizations looking to strengthen ransomware readiness across IT and OT environments can learn more about INE’s training programs at ine.com.
About INE
INE is an award-winning, premier provider of online networking and cybersecurity education, including cybersecurity training and certification. INE is trusted by Fortune 500 companies and IT professionals around the globe. Leveraging a state-of-the-art hands-on lab platform, advanced technologies, a global video distribution network, and instruction from world-class experts, INE sets the standard for high-impact, career-advancing technical education.
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