CDK Global outage updates — Software provider hit with second cyberattack causing car dealerships to shut down
A CYBERATTACK has shut down car dealerships across the country for the second time in two days.
CDK Global provides sales software to over 15,000 dealerships in the US - but operations were shut down Wednesday after the company was hacked.
The software provider has been hit with another cyberattack for the second day in a row, preventing thousands of retailers from business as usual.
CDK spokesperson Lisa Finney told customers in an email statement that the computer system outage is being investigated, according to CNN.
“With the work done so far, our core DMS and Digital Retailing solutions have been restored," Finney said in the message.
"We are continuing to conduct extensive tests on all other applications, and we will provide updates as we bring those applications back online."
Read our CDK Global outage blog for the latest updates...
CDK has yet to issue a statement
CDK Global has yet to issue a public statement addressing the cyberattack and outage.
The company sent an email to customers - but has kept quiet on their website and social media accounts.
Cybersecurity expert shares tips
Lisa Plaggemier, executive director of the National Cybersecurity Alliance, has shared tips with The U.S. Sun about what happens to your data in a breach and why it is so dangerous.
She explained how much of the data that is compromised and stolen in a leak "gets used in social engineering campaigns by bad guys to trick people."
They may use this information to make individuals click on links or hand over access to their accounts because they seem trustworthy due to all the personal information they have on them.
"If you presume at this point in today’s world that all of your information is public, it’s for sale on the dark web," the cybersecurity expert warned.
It's unclear if CDK Global's cyberattack has caused a data breach.
Brookfield Business Partners drops
Private equity firm Brookfield Business Partners LP has slid up to 2.5% today after CDK Global, one of its top investments, suffered a cyberattack.
In the firm's 2023 investor day presentation, Brookfield Business Partners named CDK Global as one of its top six holdings, according to Yahoo Finance.
Outage could last 'several days'
CDK Global told customers that they don't have an estimated timeframe for the outage to be resolved - but that it could be for days.
“At this time, we do not have an estimated time frame for resolution and therefore our dealers’ systems will not be available likely for several days,” the company told PC Mag.
"As of now, our customer care channels for support remain unavailable as a precautionary measure to maintain security."
CDK has a 'cybersecurity strategy'
On CDK Global's website, the company states that there is a "cybersecurity strategy" in place to protect their software from cyberattacks.
"CDK Cybersecurity Solutions provide a three-tiered cybersecurity strategy to prevent, protect and respond to cyberattacks so you can defend your dealership," the site says.
Cybersecurity Solutions include:
- CDK Network Protect
- CDK Endpoint Protect
- CDK Security Awareness Training
- CDK MailProtect
- CDK Multifactor Authentication
- CDK Dealer Comply
Salespeople use other methods
As CDK Global is down, car dealership employees have been sharing their work day experiences on Reddit since yesterday as the outage prevents retailers from making any large sales.
"How many of you are standing around because your whole shop runs on CDK?" one user wrote in a thread titled "CDK down."
"Excel spreadsheets and post it notes for any parts we’re handing out. Any big jobs are not happening," another wrote.
"I work at a Semi Truck dealership in Omaha, NE and we went to paper invoices. Thankfully we have our inventory in excel from 6/14 so our counts are somewhat updated with locations," a third added.
Customer support is unavailable
CDK Global told customers that customer support teams are "remaining unavailable" as a security precaution.
None of the phone numbers on the company's website are functioning at the moment.
No time frame available
CDK Global told customers in an email that there is no time frame available for when the problems will be fixed, according to TechCrunch.
“At this time, we do not have an estimated time frame for resolution and therefore our dealers’ systems will not be available at a minimum on Thursday,” the company said.
What to know about the cyberattack
The first cyberattack on CDK Global started Tuesday evening, the company confirmed to Bleeping Computer.
It's currently unknown who is behind the cyberattack.
The reason for the attack is also unclear.
Company is 'actively investigating'
CDK Global is investigating the cyberattack.
“We are actively investigating a cyber incident,” a CDK spokesperson told CBS News.
“Out of an abundance of caution and concern for our customers, we have shut down most of our systems and are working diligently to get everything up and running as quickly as possible.”
Some functions have been restored
A CDK spokesperson Lisa Finney said the computer system outage is being investigated.
“With the work done so far, our core DMS and Digital Retailing solutions have been restored," Finney said in a statement.
"We are continuing to conduct extensive tests on all other applications, and we will provide updates as we bring those applications back online.
Company sent email to dealerships
CDK Global sent out an email to car dealerships across the country to announce the second outage, according to CNN.
“Dear Valued Customers, We are sorry to inform you that we experienced an additional cyber incident late in the evening on June 19th,” the message, shared with the outlet by an anonymous auto dealer, said.
“Out of continued caution and to protect our customers, we are once again proactively shutting down most of our systems.”
The statement said that the systems would be down all day Thursday.
What is CDK Global?
CDK Global is a major software provider for sales management systems used by car dealerships.
CDK Global works with over 15,000 dealerships across the country, per the company's website.
CDK Global faces outage
A cyberattack has shut down car dealerships across the country for the second time in two days.
CDK Global has shut down its systems "out of an abundance of caution" for customers as the company was hacked.