Here's the uncomfortable truth about Steryon's €1M funding announcement: they're building AI-powered cybersecurity solutions in a world where AI has become the single greatest accelerant of cyber risk we've ever seen. It's like developing better fire extinguishers while someone's pouring gasoline on everything.
Maria Taberna's industrial cybersecurity credentials are impressive—15 years in the field, key figure in Oylo's development before its Rockwell Automation acquisition. But even the most experienced firefighter struggles when the building's foundation is crumbling. And the foundation of industrial cybersecurity? It's in free fall.
The Data Breach Apocalypse We're Pretending Isn't Happening
Let's start with the numbers that should terrify anyone investing in industrial cybersecurity. Manufacturing facilities worldwide suffered 1,607 confirmed data breaches in 2024—nearly double the 849 recorded in 2023. But here's the kicker: 68% of organizations have experienced data leaks linked to the use of AI tools, yet only 23% have formal security policies in place to address these risks.
We're not just facing a cybersecurity crisis—we're facing a cybersecurity crisis exponentially amplified by the very technology everyone's betting on to solve it. Each breach costs manufacturers $5.5 million—13% above the global average, and 42% of these manufacturing breaches stemmed directly from third-party access vulnerabilities.
The industrial control systems that Steryon aims to protect are under unprecedented assault. In 2024, CyberArmyofRussia_Reborn (CARR) launched a series of cyber attacks on industrial facilities, demonstrating their access to Human Machine Interface (HMI) devices and ability to manipulate operational processes. The FrostyGoop malware, discovered targeting Ukrainian energy infrastructure, represents a new evolution in industrial cyber warfare—it resulted in loss of heating for 600 apartment buildings in sub-zero temperatures for almost two days.
The irony is suffocating. While Steryon promises that "AI brings critical clarity to this process," the reality is that ChatGPT 4 could correctly exploit vulnerabilities 87% of the time when given CVE descriptions. AI isn't just a defensive tool—it's become the perfect weapon for attackers.
77% of manufacturers leverage AI for efficiency, but these connections create a perfect storm of vulnerabilities targeted by attackers. The integration of AI into manufacturing operations doesn't just add new attack vectors—it fundamentally transforms existing security challenges into exponentially greater threats.
The supply chain vulnerabilities are staggering. Eight vulnerabilities were found in the open source supply chain used to develop in-house AI and ML models, with one critical severity and seven high severity vulnerabilities. When your defensive AI tools are built on compromised foundations, what exactly are you defending?
Steryon's pitch centers on "translating the technical complexity of cybersecurity into an integrated, understandable, and actionable risk view." But there's a profound disconnect between the complexity of the threat and the solutions being proposed. Two out of three organizations report moderate-to-critical talent shortages, including a lack of essential skills to meet core security needs.
The skills gap isn't just about hiring more people—it's about the impossibility of keeping up with threats that are scaling exponentially through AI automation. 83% of manufacturers have undocumented external connections, with edge devices and VPNs—now 22% of vulnerability targets, up from 3%. How do you secure what you can't even see?
Industrial environments are particularly vulnerable because they combine legacy systems with modern connectivity. By 2026, industrial organizations are expected to employ over 15 billion new and legacy assets connected to 5G, the internet and cloud. Each connection multiplies the attack surface exponentially.
Here's what keeps me awake at night: Have we already crossed the point of no return? Shadow data creates an invisible crisis—one-third of breaches now involve shadow data, while 57% of organizations can't track external content sharing. When more than half of organizations can't track their own data, how can they protect it?
The FrostyGoop malware illustrates the terrifying reality of modern industrial cyber warfare. FrostyGoop's ability to communicate with ICS devices via Modbus TCP threatens critical infrastructure across multiple sectors, with more than 46,000 internet-exposed ICS devices communicating over the protocol worldwide. This isn't theoretical—it's happening now.
The adversaries sent Modbus commands to ENCO controllers, causing inaccurate measurements and system malfunctions. The attack didn't require sophisticated penetration of air-gapped systems—it exploited internet-connected infrastructure that industrial operators didn't even know was vulnerable.
For marketing and growth professionals, the implications are stark. The industrial cybersecurity market is growing not because solutions are becoming more effective, but because threats are becoming more sophisticated faster than defenses can evolve. Organizations implementing AI-powered security save an average of $2.2 million per breach compared to those without these technologies—but that's still a massive loss.
The fundamental question isn't whether Steryon's platform will be useful—it probably will be. The question is whether any cybersecurity solution can keep pace with AI-accelerated threats in industrial environments that were never designed for internet connectivity.
We're not just fighting yesterday's war with tomorrow's weapons. We're fighting tomorrow's war with tools that may have been compromised before they were deployed. The cybersecurity industry has become an arms race where the attackers have nuclear weapons and the defenders are still working with conventional artillery.
Steryon's €1M funding represents hope in a field that desperately needs it. But hope without realistic assessment of the threat landscape isn't strategy—it's wishful thinking.
Need brutal honesty about your cybersecurity posture? Winsome Marketing's growth experts understand the real risks facing industrial organizations in the AI era. We'll help you navigate the gap between security theater and actual protection.