As packaging and processing lines grow more connected, a cyberattack can cross into operations, idling equipment and stalling production. When that happens, recovery depends on a question many operations have not fully answered: can the available backup actually restore the line as it runs today?
According to PMMI’s Securing the Line: Managing Cybersecurity in Packaging and Processing Operations white paper, session participants drew a distinction between having a backup and having the correct backup. An original factory acceptance test file, for example, can fall out of date once changes are made during site acceptance and ongoing production. If those changes were never captured, the stored file no longer represents the system that needs to be recovered.
That distinction matters because program backups topped the list of recovery priorities. In a live session poll, 44% of respondents selected program backups, including critical information, as necessary to restore a line safely and efficiently. Partnership with OEMs followed at 24%, while restoration baselines, operational technology (OT) compliance data recovery, recipes or intellectual property, and network segmentation each drew 20%. The poll permitted multiple selections and reflects 25 respondents at the session, not an industry-wide ranking.
Participants stressed that program files alone may not be enough. Machine settings, firmware, network configurations, operator-interface files, and recipes can all be required, depending on the equipment and process.
“Anything that has any kind of brain or IP address, you need to know what the backup is, or where to get it,” one session participant said.
Restoring equipment and safely restarting production are also separate tasks. A recovered controller or computer may run, but participants emphasized verifying process conditions, operating parameters, and the integrity of the information used to run the line, particularly where incorrect settings or missing data could affect product quality or food safety.
For OEMs and technology partners, the discussion points to an opening. Suppliers that help end users identify which backups and configurations matter, document where recoverable copies reside, and confirm who keeps them current can turn a stored file into a line that actually comes back.
SOURCE: 2026 Securing the Line: Managing Cybersecurity in Packaging and Processing Operations
For more insights from PMMI’s Business Intelligence team, find reports, including Securing the Line: Managing Cybersecurity in Packaging and Processing Operations, The Formulation Effect: Impacts on Food & Beverage Production, Equipment and Investment, and Robotics in Packaging & Processing at https://www.pmmi.org/business-intelligence.
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