Some car dealers are back online after massive dealership cyberattacks
CDK Global serves almost 15,000 car dealerships across the United States.
CDK Global serves almost 15,000 car dealerships across the United States.
CDK Global on Wednesday said a “small initial test group of dealers” have regained access to its dealer management system, roughly a week after the company was hit with back-to-back cyberattacks.
The company added that it will begin restoring access to other dealers once it finishes its initial testing. CDK hascreated an online portal with commonly used documents to support firms who still lack access.
“We understand and share the urgency for our customers to get back to business as usual, and we will continue providing updates as more information is available,” CDK said in a statement.
The company, which serves almost 15,000 car dealerships across North America, was first hit by an attack early morning on June 19. That forced it to shut down its systems, which are relied on by dealerships to conduct most of their routine business. Later that evening, a second “cyber incident” occurred.
CDK on Tuesday told dealers that it won’t finish restoring system access before June 30. The company is working with law enforcement and third-parties to investigate the incident.
Bloomberg reported Friday that the a group claiming to have been behind the hack has demanded tens of millions of dollars in ransom. The group has since been identified as the BlackSuit ransomware gang, according to BleepingComputer and Recorded Future ransomware analyst Allan Liska.
BlackSuit became widely known last April, and earlier this month it published hundreds of stolen files from a Kansas police department that it claims refused to pay its ransom. The group has stolen data through attacks on at least 53 organizations, according to ReliaQuest researchers.
Car and heavy truck dealers across the U.S. have been forced to find alternative ways to conduct business, since they now lack access to CDK’s suite of services like e-signing and appointment scheduling tools. Some are unable to even access customer records. Major dealers such as AutoNation, Lithia Motors, and Sonic Motors have been affected.
CDK is also facing two potential class-action lawsuits in federal court in Illinois, where it is based, from people who claim the company neglected to safeguard their information. The plaintiffs in each lawsuit are a former customer and employee of dealerships that used CDK’s systems, according to the lawsuits.
Both complaints claim that the breach may have exposed customers’ and employees’ names, addresses, social security numbers, and other financial information. The lawsuits are seeking damages, for CDK to increase its efforts to protect personal information, and to purge all personal identifiable information related to the plaintiffs.
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