Regional Manufacturer Secures Three Plants After a Ransomware Attack
After a ransomware attack shut down production for 72 hours, an industrial manufacturer partnered with Katalyst to segment OT and IT networks, deploy managed detection and response, and reach 99.9% production uptime across three plants.
The Challenge
Our client is a family-owned industrial manufacturer based in Greensboro, North Carolina, operating three production facilities with 200 employees. The company produces precision metal components for the automotive and aerospace industries, running CNC machines, robotic welding cells, and automated quality inspection systems across all three plants.
A ransomware attack brought the company's operations to a complete halt. The attack entered through a phishing email on the administrative network and spread laterally, because there was no segmentation between the IT network (email, ERP, accounting) and the OT network (programmable logic controllers, SCADA systems, CNC machines). Within four hours, ransomware had encrypted file servers, locked out ERP access, and, most critically, disrupted the industrial control systems managing production equipment.
Production was down for 72 hours. The financial impact exceeded $800,000 in lost revenue, expedited shipping to meet delayed orders, and emergency IT remediation costs. Beyond the immediate crisis, the company's largest aerospace customer initiated a supply chain security review that threatened a $4.2 million annual contract. The company's existing IT support, a local break-fix provider, lacked the expertise to handle industrial cybersecurity or OT network architecture.
The Solution
Katalyst was brought in to rebuild the company's technology infrastructure from the ground up, with a focus on OT/IT convergence security, an area where traditional IT providers typically fall short.
Network architecture and segmentation
Using our Managed Infrastructure service, Katalyst designed and implemented a segmented network architecture based on the Purdue Model for industrial control systems. The OT network (PLCs, SCADA, HMIs) was physically and logically separated from the IT network (ERP, email, file servers) with a carefully controlled demilitarized zone between them. Each of the three plants received identical, centrally managed network infrastructure with redundant connections.
Industrial firewalls were deployed at each segmentation boundary with application-aware rules that permit only the specific protocols required for production data flow. Unauthorized lateral movement, the exact technique that allowed the ransomware to spread, is now architecturally impossible.
Managed detection and response
Katalyst's Managed Security & MDR service was deployed across both the IT and OT environments. On the IT side, endpoint detection and response agents on every workstation and server provide real-time threat detection. On the OT side, passive network monitoring sensors watch for anomalous traffic patterns without introducing latency or risk to production systems. Our 24/7 SOC analysts monitor both environments continuously, with custom playbooks developed specifically for the company's manufacturing processes.
Backup and recovery
Backup and disaster recovery was implemented with an architecture designed for manufacturing. Production configurations, CNC programs, quality records, and ERP data are backed up on separate schedules aligned with their criticality. Backups are encrypted, stored off-site, and tested monthly. Recovery time objectives were defined for each system tier, with production-critical systems restorable within one hour.
Multi-site management
All three plants are managed through Katalyst's centralized platform, providing unified visibility into network health, security posture, and system performance. The company's operations director has a single dashboard showing the status of every plant, with real-time alerts for any anomalies that could affect production.
The Results
Eighteen months after the ransomware attack, the company has experienced zero security incidents. Production uptime has reached 99.9% across all three facilities, up from an estimated 96% before the attack, when unplanned IT outages regularly disrupted production schedules. The aerospace customer not only renewed their contract but cited the company's security improvements as a differentiator during their supply chain review.
IT costs have decreased by 45% compared to the combined spend on break-fix support, emergency remediation, and the productivity losses that came with an unmanaged environment. The predictable monthly investment in Katalyst's services replaced an unpredictable and ultimately more expensive patchwork approach.
After the ransomware attack, we knew we needed a partner who understood manufacturing, not just IT. Katalyst's team understood our OT environment from day one. They didn't try to treat our plant floor like an office network, they built a security architecture that protects production without slowing it down. We haven't lost a minute of production to a security incident since.
VP of Operations · Regional ManufacturerKey Takeaways
- OT/IT segmentation is non-negotiable for manufacturers. A flat network allows threats to move from email inboxes to production floors in minutes.
- Manufacturing requires specialized MDR that monitors both IT and OT environments without introducing risk to production systems.
- Engineering expertise matters. Designing and managing complex multi-site industrial networks is beyond what traditional IT providers can support.
- The cost of prevention is a fraction of the cost of an incident. The company's annual investment with Katalyst is less than 15% of what the single ransomware attack cost them.
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