(NEXSTAR) — Auto dealerships across the United States experienced widespread computer system outages on Wednesday as software provider CDK Global dealt with a cybersecurity incident.
The company told Nexstar it had restored some of its systems while continuing to investigate the incident, which caused business outages at several auto dealerships.
“The work done to date has resulted in the recovery of our core DMS and digital retailing solutions. We continue to conduct extensive testing of all other applications and will provide updates once those applications are back online,” CDK spokesperson Lisa Finney said in a statement.
“Our number one priority is always the safety of our customers and our actions reflect our obligations to them as a trusted partner,” she added.
Finney said CDK erred on the side of caution when it decided to shut down all of its systems on Wednesday. It’s unclear how many dealerships or stores were affected, but CDK works with more than 15,000 retailers in North America. According to the company’s website:.
in 2023 ReportCDK said 17% of the 175 dealerships it surveyed had experienced a cyberattack in the past year.
“Cybercriminals are increasingly targeting car dealerships using sophisticated techniques that appear to come from secure and trusted sources,” the company said in a previous statement.
As for Wednesday’s cyber threat, CDK said it had consulted with “third-party experts” in investigating the incident. As of Wednesday night, no further details had been released.
