Hackers demand millions, halt operations at 15,000 US car dealerships
Jun 24
By Karah Rucker (Anchor), William Jackson (Producer), Emma Stoltzfus (Video Editor)
A cyberattack on Wednesday, June 19, impacted CDK Global, a major software provider for North American car dealerships. The attack caused widespread disruption, halting management tools at thousands of dealerships. The hackers, believed to be based in Eastern Europe, demanded tens of millions of dollars in ransom.
Media Landscape
See who else is reporting on this story and which side of the political spectrum they lean. To read other sources, click on the plus signs below.
Learn more about this dataLeft 31%
Center 59%
Right 10%
Bias Distribution
Far
Left
+0
Click to close
Left
+0
Click to close
Trying to buy a car? Your dealership might be recovering from a cyberattack
Click to see story on CBC News
Car dealerships in North America revert to pens and paper after cyberattacks on software provider
Click to see story on Associated Press News
CDK Global: Restoration underway after auto dealer software supplier hacked
Click to see story on USA Today
Car dealerships in North America revert to pens and paper after cyberattacks on software provider
Click to see story on abc News
Car dealerships face scam attempts after cyberattack-related outage
Click to see story on The Toronto Star
Car dealerships in North America revert to pens and paper after cyberattacks on software provider
Click to see story on Coast Reporter
Car dealerships face scam attempts after cyberattack-related outage
Click to see story on Sask Today
Car dealerships in North America revert to pens and paper after cyberattacks on software provider
Click to see story on Flin Flon Reminder
Car dealerships in North America revert to pens and paper after cyberattacks on software provider
Click to see story on Star Tribune
Car dealerships in North America revert to pens and paper after cyberattacks on software provider
Click to see story on Rocky Mountain Outlook
CDK hack upends U.S. auto industry, sending dealers back to paper forms
Click to see story on NBC News
Car dealerships in North America revert to pens and paper after cyberattacks on software provider
Click to see story on SooToday.com
Car dealerships face scam attempts after cyberattacks
Click to see story on Barrie Today
4 questions answered about the software cyberattacks affecting car dealerships
Click to see story on PBS NewsHour
Car dealerships revert to pen and paper for sales after cyberattacks
Click to see story on NBC New York
Click to close
Car dealerships in North America revert to pens and paper after cyberattacks on software provider
Click to see story on CTV News
Car dealerships in North America revert to pens and paper after cyberattacks on software provider
Click to see story on KIFI
Ripple effect from CDK hack widens as more US auto dealers flag hit
Click to see story on Channel News Asia
Car dealerships in North America revert to pens and paper after cyberattacks on software provider
Click to see story on KVIA
Car dealerships in North America revert to pens and paper after cyberattacks on software provider
Click to see story on Winnipeg Free Press
North American car dealerships in revert to pens and paper after cyberattacks
Click to see story on VOA News
Car dealerships in North America revert to pens and paper after cyberattacks on software provider
Click to see story on Washington Top News
CDK hack upends US auto industry, sending dealers back to paper forms
Click to see story on Live Mint
Car dealerships in North America revert to pens and paper after cyberattacks on software provider
Click to see story on WPLG
Car dealerships in North America revert to pens and paper after cyberattacks on software provider
Click to see story on Chicago Tribune
Car dealerships in North America revert to pens and paper after cyberattacks on software provider
Click to see story on News 4 JAX
Car dealerships in North America revert to pens and paper after cyberattacks on software provider
Click to see story on WKMG
Car dealerships in North America revert to pens and paper after cyberattacks on software provider
Click to see story on Click on Detroit
Car dealerships in North America revert to pens and paper after cyberattacks on software provider
Click to see story on Portland Press Herald
Ripple effect from CDK hack widens as more US auto dealers flag hit
Click to see story on WTVB
Car dealership outages drag on after CDK cyberattacks
Click to see story on TechCrunch
Group 1 Automotive says CDK cyberattack has disrupted processes at U.S. operations that rely on its systems
Click to see story on MarketWatch
Car dealerships in North America revert to pens and paper after cyberattacks on software provider
Click to see story on KOB 4
Car dealerships in North America revert to pens and paper after cyberattacks on software provider
Click to see story on City News
Car dealerships in North America revert to pens and paper after cyberattacks on software provider
Click to see story on The Columbian
Car dealerships in North America revert to pens and paper after cyberattacks on software provider
Click to see story on WANE-TV
Car dealerships in North America revert to pens and paper after cyberattacks on software provider
Click to see story on WKRN
Car dealerships in North America revert to pens and paper after cyberattacks on software provider
Click to see story on WMBD
Car dealerships in North America revert to pens and paper after cyberattacks on software provider
Click to see story on ABC FOX Montana
Car dealerships revert to paper orders after cyberattacks on software provider
Click to see story on Scripps News
Wiregrass dealerships affected by North American cyberattacks on software provider
Click to see story on WDHN
Hackers demand millions, halt operations at 15,000 US car dealerships
Click to see story on Straight Arrow News
Car dealerships in North America revert to pens and paper after cyberattacks on software provider
Click to see story on Shaw Local
Car dealerships in North America revert to pens and paper after cyberattacks on software provider
Click to see story on castanet.net
Click to close
Making the sale, on paper: Car dealerships scramble in the wake of cyberattacks
Click to see story on Boston Herald
Car dealerships revert to pens, paper after cyberattacks cripple software provider
Click to see story on OC Register
Car dealerships face scam attempts after cyberattack-related outage
Click to see story on Montreal Gazette
Click to close
Far
Right
+0
Click to close
Untracked Bias
Car dealerships in North America revert to pens and paper after cyberattacks on software provider
Click to see story on My Mother Lode
Car dealerships in North America revert to pens and paper after cyberattacks on software provider
Click to see story on Airdrie City View
Car dealerships in North America revert to pens and paper after cyberattacks on software provider
Click to see story on Orillia Matters
Car dealerships in North America revert to pens and paper after cyberattacks on software provider
Click to see story on Newmarket Today
Car dealerships face scam attempts after cyberattacks
Click to see story on Midland Today
Car dealerships in North America revert to pens and paper after cyberattacks on software provider
Click to see story on Collingwood Today
Car dealerships face scam attempts after cyberattacks
Click to see story on Thorold Today
Car dealerships in North America revert to pens and paper after cyberattacks on software provider
Click to see story on Elora Fergus Today
Thousands of US car dealers affected by cyber attack
Click to see story on rd.nl
Car dealerships in North America revert to pens and paper after cyberattacks on software provider – The Morning Sun
Click to see story on Morning Sun
Car Dealerships In North America Revert To Pens and Paper After Cyberattacks
Click to see story on slashdot.org
Car dealerships in North America revert to pens and paper after cyberattacks on software provider
Click to see story on Bradford Today
Car dealerships face scam attempts after cyberattacks
Click to see story on Timmins Today
Car dealerships in North America revert to pens and paper after cyberattacks on software provider
Click to see story on thealbertan.com
Click to close
63 other sources covering this story
Total News Sources
63
Leaning Left
15
Center
29
Leaning Right
5
Last Updated
1 week ago
The attack affected approximately 15,000 dealerships, disrupting an industry that generates over $1.2 trillion in annual sales. The outage occurred during a critical end-of-quarter sales push.
Download the SAN app today to stay up-to-date with Unbiased. Straight Facts™.
Point phone camera here
Although CDK briefly restored its systems, a second wave of attacks led to another shutdown.
The company warned that full recovery could take days, during which dealerships have had to revert to manual operations, slowing down sales, halting repairs and delaying deliveries.
The breach not only caused “operational chaos” but also led to a substantial ransom demand, which CDK is reportedly considering paying. Meanwhile, scammers have exploited the situation by posing as CDK representatives to deceive customers.
“CDK associates are not contacting customers for access to their environment or systems,” CDK Global said in a statement. “Please only respond to known CDK employees and communications.”
Unbiased news.
Directly to your inbox. Free!
Learn more about our emails. Unsubscribe anytime.
By entering your email, you agree to the Terms & Conditions and acknowledge the Privacy Policy.
After decades of consolidation, the industry heavily relies on a few key players like CDK for essential management services, ranging from arranging financing and insurance to managing inventory and processing sales and repairs.
According to the National Automobile Dealers Association, there are approximately 16,800 new car dealerships in the United States.
[KARAH RUCKER]
LAST WEEK A KEY SOFTWARE PROVIDER FOR NORTH AMERICAN CAR DEALERSHIPS BROUGHT THOUSANDS OF CAR DEALERSHIPS MANAGEMENT TOOLS TO A SCREECHING HALT, TRIGGERING WIDESPREAD DISRUPTION.
THE HACKERS, BELIEVED TO BE BASED IN EASTERN EUROPE, ARE DEMANDING TENS OF MILLIONS OF DOLLARS IN RANSOM.
THE ATTACK ON “CDK GLOBAL” IMPACTED ROUGHLY 15-THOUSAND DEALERSHIPS.
SEVERELY DISRUPTING AN INDUSTRY THAT ACCOUNTS FOR OVER $1.2 TRILLION IN ANNUAL SALES.
THIS OUTAGE HIT AT A PARTICULARLY BAD TIME FOR DEALERS — RIGHT DURING A CRUCIAL PUSH FOR END-OF-QUARTER SALES.
DESPITE A BRIEF RESTORATION OF THEIR SYSTEMS, “CDK” FACED A SECOND WAVE OF ATTACKS, LEADING TO ANOTHER SHUTDOWN.
THE COMPANY HAS WARNED THAT FULL RECOVERY COULD TAKE DAYS, DURING WHICH DEALERSHIPS REVERTED TO MANUAL OPERATIONS—
SLOWING DOWN SALES, HALTING REPAIRS, AND DELAYING DELIVERIES.
THE BREACH NOT ONLY CAUSED “OPERATIONAL CHAOS” BUT ALSO LED TO A SUBSTANTIAL RANSOM DEMAND, WHICH CDK IS REPORTEDLY CONSIDERING PAYING.
AMIDST THIS TURMOIL, SCAMMERS HAVE EXPLOITED THE SITUATION, POSING AS “CDK REPRESENTATIVES” TO DECEIVE CUSTOMERS.”
IN A STATEMENT THE COMPANY WROTE:
“CDK associates are not contacting customers for access to their environment or systems. Please only respond to known CDK employees and communications.”
AFTER DECADES OF CONSOLIDATION, THE INDUSTRY RELIES HEAVILY ON A FEW PLAYERS LIKE CDK FOR ESSENTIAL MANAGEMENT SERVICES. THESE RANGE FROM ARRANGING FINANCING AND INSURANCE TO MANAGING INVENTORY AND PROCESSING SALES AND REPAIRS, MAKING THE VENDOR’S ROLE CRUCIAL IN DAILY OPERATIONS.
ACCORDING TO THE MOST RECENT DATA AVAILABLE FROM “THE NATIONAL AUTOMOBILE DEALERS ASSOCIATION” THERE ARE ROUGHLY 16-THOUSAND 8-HUNDRED NEW CAR DEALERSHIPS IN THE UNITED STATES.
I’M KARAH RUCKER.
MAKE SURE TO DOWNLOAD THE STRAIGHT ARROW NEWS APP – AND SIGN UP FOR NOTIFICATIONS – SO YOU NEVER MISS AN UPDATE.
YOU CAN ALSO VISIT US ON THE WEB AT SAN DOT COM.
Related
Media Landscape
See who else is reporting on this story and which side of the political spectrum they lean. To read other sources, click on the plus signs below.
Learn more about this dataLeft 31%
Center 59%
Right 10%
Bias Distribution
Far
Left
+0
Click to close
Left
+0
Click to close
Trying to buy a car? Your dealership might be recovering from a cyberattack
Click to see story on CBC News
Car dealerships in North America revert to pens and paper after cyberattacks on software provider
Click to see story on Associated Press News
CDK Global: Restoration underway after auto dealer software supplier hacked
Click to see story on USA Today
Car dealerships in North America revert to pens and paper after cyberattacks on software provider
Click to see story on abc News
Car dealerships face scam attempts after cyberattack-related outage
Click to see story on The Toronto Star
Car dealerships in North America revert to pens and paper after cyberattacks on software provider
Click to see story on Coast Reporter
Car dealerships face scam attempts after cyberattack-related outage
Click to see story on Sask Today
Car dealerships in North America revert to pens and paper after cyberattacks on software provider
Click to see story on Flin Flon Reminder
Car dealerships in North America revert to pens and paper after cyberattacks on software provider
Click to see story on Star Tribune
Car dealerships in North America revert to pens and paper after cyberattacks on software provider
Click to see story on Rocky Mountain Outlook
CDK hack upends U.S. auto industry, sending dealers back to paper forms
Click to see story on NBC News
Car dealerships in North America revert to pens and paper after cyberattacks on software provider
Click to see story on SooToday.com
Car dealerships face scam attempts after cyberattacks
Click to see story on Barrie Today
4 questions answered about the software cyberattacks affecting car dealerships
Click to see story on PBS NewsHour
Car dealerships revert to pen and paper for sales after cyberattacks
Click to see story on NBC New York
Click to close
Car dealerships in North America revert to pens and paper after cyberattacks on software provider
Click to see story on CTV News
Car dealerships in North America revert to pens and paper after cyberattacks on software provider
Click to see story on KIFI
Ripple effect from CDK hack widens as more US auto dealers flag hit
Click to see story on Channel News Asia
Car dealerships in North America revert to pens and paper after cyberattacks on software provider
Click to see story on KVIA
Car dealerships in North America revert to pens and paper after cyberattacks on software provider
Click to see story on Winnipeg Free Press
North American car dealerships in revert to pens and paper after cyberattacks
Click to see story on VOA News
Car dealerships in North America revert to pens and paper after cyberattacks on software provider
Click to see story on Washington Top News
CDK hack upends US auto industry, sending dealers back to paper forms
Click to see story on Live Mint
Car dealerships in North America revert to pens and paper after cyberattacks on software provider
Click to see story on WPLG
Car dealerships in North America revert to pens and paper after cyberattacks on software provider
Click to see story on Chicago Tribune
Car dealerships in North America revert to pens and paper after cyberattacks on software provider
Click to see story on News 4 JAX
Car dealerships in North America revert to pens and paper after cyberattacks on software provider
Click to see story on WKMG
Car dealerships in North America revert to pens and paper after cyberattacks on software provider
Click to see story on Click on Detroit
Car dealerships in North America revert to pens and paper after cyberattacks on software provider
Click to see story on Portland Press Herald
Ripple effect from CDK hack widens as more US auto dealers flag hit
Click to see story on WTVB
Car dealership outages drag on after CDK cyberattacks
Click to see story on TechCrunch
Group 1 Automotive says CDK cyberattack has disrupted processes at U.S. operations that rely on its systems
Click to see story on MarketWatch
Car dealerships in North America revert to pens and paper after cyberattacks on software provider
Click to see story on KOB 4
Car dealerships in North America revert to pens and paper after cyberattacks on software provider
Click to see story on City News
Car dealerships in North America revert to pens and paper after cyberattacks on software provider
Click to see story on The Columbian
Car dealerships in North America revert to pens and paper after cyberattacks on software provider
Click to see story on WANE-TV
Car dealerships in North America revert to pens and paper after cyberattacks on software provider
Click to see story on WKRN
Car dealerships in North America revert to pens and paper after cyberattacks on software provider
Click to see story on WMBD
Car dealerships in North America revert to pens and paper after cyberattacks on software provider
Click to see story on ABC FOX Montana
Car dealerships revert to paper orders after cyberattacks on software provider
Click to see story on Scripps News
Wiregrass dealerships affected by North American cyberattacks on software provider
Click to see story on WDHN
Hackers demand millions, halt operations at 15,000 US car dealerships
Click to see story on Straight Arrow News
Car dealerships in North America revert to pens and paper after cyberattacks on software provider
Click to see story on Shaw Local
Car dealerships in North America revert to pens and paper after cyberattacks on software provider
Click to see story on castanet.net
Click to close
Making the sale, on paper: Car dealerships scramble in the wake of cyberattacks
Click to see story on Boston Herald
Car dealerships revert to pens, paper after cyberattacks cripple software provider
Click to see story on OC Register
Car dealerships face scam attempts after cyberattack-related outage
Click to see story on Montreal Gazette
Click to close
Far
Right
+0
Click to close
Untracked Bias
Car dealerships in North America revert to pens and paper after cyberattacks on software provider
Click to see story on My Mother Lode
Car dealerships in North America revert to pens and paper after cyberattacks on software provider
Click to see story on Airdrie City View
Car dealerships in North America revert to pens and paper after cyberattacks on software provider
Click to see story on Orillia Matters
Car dealerships in North America revert to pens and paper after cyberattacks on software provider
Click to see story on Newmarket Today
Car dealerships face scam attempts after cyberattacks
Click to see story on Midland Today
Car dealerships in North America revert to pens and paper after cyberattacks on software provider
Click to see story on Collingwood Today
Car dealerships face scam attempts after cyberattacks
Click to see story on Thorold Today
Car dealerships in North America revert to pens and paper after cyberattacks on software provider
Click to see story on Elora Fergus Today
Thousands of US car dealers affected by cyber attack
Click to see story on rd.nl
Car dealerships in North America revert to pens and paper after cyberattacks on software provider – The Morning Sun
Click to see story on Morning Sun
Car Dealerships In North America Revert To Pens and Paper After Cyberattacks
Click to see story on slashdot.org
Car dealerships in North America revert to pens and paper after cyberattacks on software provider
Click to see story on Bradford Today
Car dealerships face scam attempts after cyberattacks
Click to see story on Timmins Today
Car dealerships in North America revert to pens and paper after cyberattacks on software provider
Click to see story on thealbertan.com
Click to close
63 other sources covering this story
Total News Sources
63
Leaning Left
15
Center
29
Leaning Right
5
Last Updated
1 week ago
Unbiased news.
Directly to
your inbox.
Free!
MOST POPULAR
-
Supreme Court to issue ruling on Trump's immunity claim
Watch 7:23
9 hrs ago
-
After Trump-Biden debate debacle, what happens to RFK Jr.?
Watch 2:17
Friday
-
Trump reference to ‘Black jobs’ sparks new debate about immigration
Watch 4:45
Friday
-
Northeast border agents arrest record number of undocumented immigrants
Watch 1:51
Friday