Cyberattack Disrupts Car Dealership Operations Across the U.S.

CDK Global, which provides software for car dealerships across North America, has been hit by a cyberattack orchestrated by the BlackSuit ransomware group that has impacted car dealerships across the U.S. 

CDK provides software to car dealerships to help manage operations, including sales, inventory and back-office processes.

The attack, which began on June 19, left the dealerships across the company unable to access CDK’s software to manage their operations for days. 

As CDK was working to bring its systems back online, it was hit by a second attack. 

The company told clients its software would be back online in “several days and not weeks,” CBS News reported. 

Clients including Sonic Automotive, Penske Automotive Group and Lithia Motors reported in SEC filings that their businesses had been disrupted by the attack. Their dealerships and repair shops couldn’t function as normal, with sales operations including their customer relationship management system heavily affected.

Sonic said it’s yet to determine whether the hack will have a material impact on the company, while Penske Automotive Group only reported disruption to its Premier Truck Group dealerships.

The hackers that took down CDK’s software are demanding a ransom to return its services to operation. BleepingComputer reports that CDK has been negotiating with the ransomware group.

According to cybersecurity SentinelOne, BlackSuit does not specifically discriminate against its victims, often targeting enterprises large and small.

The group previously attacked U.S. pharmaceutical company Octapharma Plasma and Wisconsin-based health care non-profit GHC-SCW.

The BlackSuit group previously operated as Royal ransomware after it had success using a new encryptor tool of the same name.

Under its previous name, BlackSuit targeted more than 350 victims demanding ransoms of more than $275 million, according to a November 2023 advisory from the FBI and Cybersecurity and Infrastructure Security Agency.