Dealerships struggle as computer software gets hacked
© George Walker IV / The Tennessean / USA TODAY NETWORK
(Nationwide) – Planning on buying a new car this weekend? You may want to rethink that. A cyberattack has shut down auto dealers throughout the U.S. The company that provides the dealerships software for managing sales and other services, CDK Global, says it has been hacked, prompting the company to shut down most of its systems. The outage could last for several days, according to sources familiar with the situation. The shutdown has affected various dealership operations, from record-keeping to scheduling and communication about service.
Detroit Auto Dealers Association president Todd Szott says they were notified early yesterday morning that CDK Global shut down access as they investigate what happened. He says it looks to him like a ransomware attack.
In a statement to Reuters, CDK said they are continuing to conduct extensive tests on all other applications, and will provide updates as they bring those applications back online. No details were given about the cyber incident.
