Rutgers Team Develops Dual Digital Twin Approach to Strengthen Cybersecurity in AM

For the fifth year in a row, IBM’s X-Force Threat Intelligence Index 2026 found that manufacturing remains the most targeted industry for cyberattacks. The sector accounted for 27.7% of incidents, only a slight increase from 26% last year. And the financial impact is significant. According to Arctic Wolf, the median cost of a manufacturing ransomware attack handled by its Incident Response team reached $600,000 in 2026, but total losses can easily climb into the millions.

So what can manufacturers do to protect themselves? A team of engineers at Rutgers University has proposed a new approach to defending additive manufacturing systems, particularly those producing mission-critical parts for national security and infrastructure. Rajiv Malhotra, an associate professor in the Rutgers School of Engineering Department of Mechanical and Aerospace Engineering, coauthored a paper on the subject that was published in the Journal of Manufacturing Systems. The research proposes a digital twin framework designed to improve manufacturing resilience. Before diving into that approach, it’s worth understanding why manufacturing has become such a frequent target.

The digital twins were able to ensure that printing was corrected. (Image credit: Cleeman et al.).

Why Is Manufacturing a Target?

There are a few key reasons manufacturing continues to attract cyberattacks. According to cybersecurity company Arctic Wolf, one is the industry’s reliance on highly interconnected systems, many of which still run on legacy software not built with modern cybersecurity in mind. That makes them easier to exploit.