Most CNI Firms Face Up to £5m in Downtime from OT Attacks

According to e2e-assure, the vast majority (80%) of critical national infrastructure providers in the UK face downtime costs of between £100,000 and £5m from OT-attacks. The SOC-as-a-service provider polled 250 cybersecurity decision makers across manufacturing, energy, utilities, transport and retail to understand the impact on OT disruptions. It claimed that around a quarter (23%) of OT downtime incidents cost businesses over £1m, with 6% exceeding £5m.

Rob Demain, CEO at e2e-assure, said the fear reflects a shift in how cyber-threats are used, emphasising disruptions to operations and strategic pressure against critical services such as energy, transport and manufacturing, with OT breaches having an immediate and tangible impact. The report notes that nation-states often use phishing or compromised credentials to enter IT systems before pivoting to OT environments, and highlights that visibility into OT activity remains a key challenge for many organisations.