Phishing Attacks for Spoofing: The Role of Human Factor in Manufacturing Companies

Quick Take

• Phishing Attacks in Manufacturing Are More Targeted to Decision-Makers and Operational Personnel
• Attackers get around security measures by hacking humans rather than machines.
• Training end users is important, but prevention is more than just telling people to not click on links.
• In manufacturing companies, employees are a target. It is not a question of if — it is a question of when.

Introduction

I’ve been doing network security since the early ’90s — well, OK, maybe I’m dating myself, but that was when Slammer summarily ripped through networks like a wildfire, torching everything in its path. Now, a couple of decades later and while the threats have changed, one thing hasn’t: attackers always attack the weakest link. And in manufacturing? That weakest link is most often your employees.

I’ve seen it far too many times — an email appears in an inbox, appearing to be from a supplier or vendor, and, with a single click, the whole production line comes crashing down. I recently consulted with a manufacturing company in which an attacker spoofing their CFO had a plant manager approve a fraudulent wire transfer. They didn’t brute-force anyone. They had no use for zero-day exploits. All that they needed was one person to believe them.

Exploring Phishing Tactics in Manufacturing

Lure them in with social engineering. Attackers use social engineering because it’s incredibly effective. Most large manufacturing companies have complex supply chains, third-party vendors, and an increasingly long list of email-based approvers. All of this means that phishing attacks are absurdly easy to pull off with the right pretext.

Here are a few common phishing tactics used in the manufacturing industry:

• Invoice Fraud – Attackers impersonate a familiar supplier, altering invoices slightly to divert money.
• Credential Harvesting – Fake login pages mimic genuine supplier portals, collecting login credentials for later abuse.
• Compromised Executive Accounts – Attackers hijack live email accounts to make extremely convincing requests.
• Machinery Service Fraud – Emails that pretend to be about urgent maintenance entice employees to download malware-laden updates.

These attacks succeed because they aim at human choices. Today, the attack surface is everywhere, making phishing attacks more successful than ever.

Real-Life Examples

Case 1: The CEO Email Scam

I worked with a manufacturing company that was hit when a convincing email (ostensibly from the CEO) appeared in the inbox of the CFO and asked for a “quick but confidential” money transfer. The email chain appeared to be real; it even contained messages from earlier discussions, which meant the CEO’s account had already been breached. One hurried decision later, millions disappeared.

Case 2: The Fake Supplier Update

A logistics coordinator received a file named Updated Vendor Payment Details. It seemed totally legitimate, including logos, email signatures, and even the usual friendly tone. It was a fake request to change banks, and nearly $250,000 was wired to a scammer’s account before anyone realized. By the time the company realized, the money was long gone.

Manufacturing is high-paced. In such an environment, folks don’t always have time to double-check every single email on a busy day at the plant floor. Attackers know this and exploit it.

So, Why “Don’t Click Links” Isn’t Enough: Awareness Training

The thing is if you tell your staff, “don’t click suspicious-looking links,” it’s pointless because they don’t know what suspicious looks like. Effective training should not just involve basic instructions.

Employees need to:

• Manually verify the identities of senders. If you’re in doubt, call the person (on a number you know is theirs).
• Be wary of urgency. Phishers thrive when they can pressure decision-makers into snap decisions. When something is urgent and secret, it’s a scam.
• Understand domain spoofing. Attackers frequently spoof email addresses with minor differences to actual domains (like “@vendor-payments.com” rather than “@vendorpayments.com”).
• Check email headers. Your finance team should know how to look out for suspicious origins by inspecting headers.
• Report, don’t ignore. Treat a potential phishing attempt as just as important as a malfunctioning CNC machine.

Here’s what I consider my biggest pet peeve — companies conduct phishing tests, but there’s no actual training provided to employees about why they fell for it. If you’re just punishing people for clicking on links, you’re doing them a disservice.

Training Preceding Prevention Techniques

There’s only so far a sense of security can take you. Attackers are always ahead, which means your security posture must actively plan on failure and prepare for it.

1. Use Multi-Factor Authentication (MFA)

   Without MFA enabled on every critical system, you’re a sitting duck for compromise.

2. Email Security Controls

   • DMARC, DKIM, SPF – Authenticate incoming emails to avoid inviting attackers.
   • Attachment Scanning – Malware-ridden PDFs designed to look like invoices are common threats.

3. Zero-Trust Security

   Trust nothing. Always verify. Manufacturing companies must adopt this model to protect their assets effectively.

4. Limit Privileged Access

   Restrict direct payment approval access to roles that require it. Role-based access matters in reducing vulnerabilities.

5. Incident Response Readiness

   Should an attack occur, know how to respond promptly by defining:

   • Who investigates?
   • Who alerts stakeholders?
   • How to contain damage in the short term?

Final Thoughts

Every time I leave DefCon, I feel both joy and fear—because attackers are progressing much faster than most companies can adapt. The next phishing attack isn’t just an IT problem; it’s a business risk, financial risk, and supply chain risk. It revolves around human decisions, and awareness is key.

Manufacturing thrives on efficiency, but slower is safer when it comes to security. The next cleverly disguised email might just bring everything down.