CDK Cyberattack Disrupts Thousands of North American Car Dealerships: Demand for Millions in Ransom Payments

Hoffman Estates, Illinois United States of America
CDK currently working on containing attacks and restoring secure operations
CDK cyberattack disrupts thousands of North American car dealerships
Dealerships unable to process transactions or arrange financing
Hackers demanding millions in ransom payments on average
Impacted dealerships cannot close repair orders in service departments
Over 15,000 retail locations affected across North America
Ransomware demands from hackers increasing significantly highlighting cybercrime threat
CDK Cyberattack Disrupts Thousands of North American Car Dealerships: Demand for Millions in Ransom Payments

A major cyberattack on CDK, a software company that provides essential services to thousands of car dealerships across North America, has caused widespread disruption. The attack was identified on June 19 and resulted in the shutdown of CDK's systems. The hackers responsible for the attack are reportedly demanding ransom payments from CDK, with millions to tens of millions of dollars being demanded on average.

The impact of this cyberattack has been significant. Dealerships have been unable to process transactions or arrange financing due to the outage, causing delays and inconvenience for customers. Repair orders in service departments also cannot be closed, further complicating matters for dealerships.

CDK is currently working on containing the attacks and restoring secure operations. However, it is unclear when normal business operations will resume fully. The attack has affected over 15,000 retail locations across North America.

The cyberattack on CDK comes at a time when ransomware demands from hackers have been increasing significantly. This trend highlights the growing threat of cybercrime and the importance of robust cybersecurity measures for businesses in all industries.

CDK is based in Hoffman Estates, Ill., and operates in over 15,000 retail locations across North America. The company offers a dealer management system (DMS) that dealers use to process transactions, arrange financing, track parts and suppliers, and perform customer relations management.

The attack on CDK has had ripple effects throughout the auto industry. AutoNation and Group 1 Automotive have taken precautions to protect their data. Sonic Automotive expects negative business impact until systems are fully restored.

CDK's parent company, Brookfield Business Partners LP, has not yet commented on the situation publicly.

The timing of the restoration of other impacted CDK applications remains unclear at this time. The full scope and nature of the incident are still being assessed.



Confidence

91%

Doubts
  • Exact number of dealerships affected and their locations may vary
  • The identity of the hackers responsible for the attack is unknown

Sources

99%

  • Unique Points
    • CDK, a software company, was hit by a ransomware attack last week.
    • CDK is currently in the process of containing the attacks and restoring secure operations.
    • Ransomware demands from cybercriminals have been increasing, with millions to tens of millions of dollars being demanded on average.
  • Accuracy
    • CDK was hit by a ransomware attack last week.
    • The attack affected over 15,000 dealerships across North America.
    • Dealers are unable to process transactions or arrange financing due to the outage.
  • Deception (100%)
    None Found At Time Of Publication
  • Fallacies (100%)
    None Found At Time Of Publication
  • Bias (100%)
    None Found At Time Of Publication
  • Site Conflicts Of Interest (100%)
    None Found At Time Of Publication
  • Author Conflicts Of Interest (0%)
    None Found At Time Of Publication

98%

  • Unique Points
    • CDK Global, a software provider based in Hoffman Estates, Ill., has been victim of a cyberattack.
    • Dealers are unable to process transactions or arrange financing due to the outage.
    • Customers with cars in service departments are also affected as repair orders cannot be closed.
  • Accuracy
    • CDK Global was victim of a cyberattack.
    • The attack affected over 15,000 dealerships across North America.
  • Deception (100%)
    None Found At Time Of Publication
  • Fallacies (100%)
    None Found At Time Of Publication
  • Bias (100%)
    None Found At Time Of Publication
  • Site Conflicts Of Interest (100%)
    None Found At Time Of Publication
  • Author Conflicts Of Interest (100%)
    None Found At Time Of Publication

79%

  • Unique Points
    • A hacking group has attacked CDK Global, a software provider to thousands of car dealerships in North America, and is demanding tens of millions of dollars in ransom.
    • , CDK discovered the breach and shut off systems on June 19, causing chaos at many of its roughly 15,000 clients.
    • CDK had briefly restored some services for a few hours on June 19 but was forced to deactivate them following a second cyberattack.
    • On Thursday, CDK warned dealers that their systems would likely not be available for several days.
  • Accuracy
    • ]A hacking group has attacked CDK Global, a software provider to thousands of car dealerships in North America, and is demanding tens of millions of dollars in ransom.[
    • CDK is planning to make the ransom payment according to a person familiar with the matter.
    • The outage hampered sales, interrupted repairs and delayed deliveries across an industry that topped $1.2 trillion in US sales last year.
  • Deception (0%)
    The article contains selective reporting as it only reports details that support the author's position about CDK Global being forced to pay a large ransom to hackers. The article also uses emotional manipulation by describing the chaos and mass chaos at car dealerships due to the outage of CDK's services.
    • A demand in the tens of millions of dollars comes after hackers sought $50 million from a lab services company at the center of an ongoing ransomware attack that's caused outages in London hospitals.
    • CDK is planning to make the payment, said the person, who asked not to be identified because the information is private.
    • It's just mass chaos at this point.
  • Fallacies (100%)
    None Found At Time Of Publication
  • Bias (100%)
    None Found At Time Of Publication
  • Site Conflicts Of Interest (100%)
    None Found At Time Of Publication
  • Author Conflicts Of Interest (100%)
    None Found At Time Of Publication

97%

  • Unique Points
    • CDK experienced a cyber attack on Monday, affecting over 15,000 retail locations in North America.
    • AutoNation and Group 1 have taken precautions to protect their data.
    • Sonic Automotive expects negative business impact until systems are fully restored.
  • Accuracy
    • The restoration of other impacted CDK applications remains unclear.
    • A group of hackers claimed responsibility for the attack and demanded ransom.
    • Citi analysts flagged potential risk to late-June U.S. auto sales due to dealer disruptions.
  • Deception (100%)
    None Found At Time Of Publication
  • Fallacies (95%)
    The article contains some instances of inflammatory rhetoric and appeals to authority, but no formal or blatant logical fallacies were found. The author does not make any assertions beyond reporting the facts and quoting others.
    • ] Bloomberg News reported on Friday that a group of hackers claiming responsibility for the attack on CDK's software systems had demanded millions of dollars in ransom to put an end to the hack.[
    • Citi analysts said in a note last week.
    • Auto retailer Sonic Automotive, last week, said the CDK outage was likely to have a negative impact on its business operations until the systems were fully restored.
  • Bias (100%)
    None Found At Time Of Publication
  • Site Conflicts Of Interest (100%)
    None Found At Time Of Publication
  • Author Conflicts Of Interest (0%)
    None Found At Time Of Publication