1Research Scholar, PES College of Engineering, Mandya
2Prof. and Head, Dept. of ISE, PES College of Engineering, Mandya
3Research Scholar, REVA University, Bangalore
Online Published on 19 February, 2026.
Implementation of Product Lifecycle Management (PLM) systems in firms from aerospace, automotive, and manufacturing industries helps in efficiently managing design, production, as well as the maintenance information of the company. PLMs help in managing the information at different levels and stages of the company. However, Exploitation of cloud computing, Internet of Things (IoT), and advanced supply chains poses these industries to multiple cyber threats. This document highlights the PLM applications lifecycle from design and development to production, maintenance, and eventual decommissioning, highlighting the impact of significant cyber attacks at each stage. We focus on real-world vulnerabilities and attack vectors, like CVE-2021-37161 and Team center’s CAD file tampering, SQL in PTC Windchill, supply chain insider threats, and cloud misconfigurations. Analyzing breaches and defense frameworks reveals the application of ZTA (Zero Trust Architecture), AI-driven anomaly detection, and blockchain with integrity verification as viable countermeasure frameworks. We highlight the pressing importance of embedding security-by-design methodologies in PLM ecosystems while addressing the risks of AI-augmented cyber assaults and quantum computing. This research provides groundwork to aid industries and academicians in strengthening cyber defenses for PLM systems in the scope of a converging industry 4.0.
PLM Security, Cyber-Physical Systems, Zero Trust, Supply Chain Attacks, Industry 4.0
