HOUSTON — If you were planning to buy a car this week or bring your vehicle in for service, a massive ransomware attack put the brakes on operations at certain dealerships.
An automotive reporter called it the biggest attack on auto dealerships he’s ever seen.
The cyberattack is targeting CDK Global, a company that supplies software to over 15,000 dealerships nationwide, including dozens in Texas.
“A lot of dealers are still writing deals on pen and paper, and then hand delivering them to different offices to actually get deals done,” Paul Fix, with Car Coach Reports, told KHOU 11 News.
Multiple dealerships across the Houston area were impacted -- including ones owned by Group 1 Automotive. The ransomware attack locked up all sorts of systems, from car sales to booking service appointments. Although it’s too early to tell if consumer data is impacted, Fix shared what measures you should take.
“It is really good for you to check all your credit cards and your bank data, change your passwords on any accounts, especially if you have an account with the dealership and you’ve used a particular password,” Fix said.
According to Group 1 Automotive's website, they operate several dealerships in the Houston area.
A statement from Group 1 Automotive said, "The Company immediately activated its cyber incident response procedures and proactively took measures to protect and isolate its systems from CDK’s platform."
“CDK has advised that it anticipates the restoration of the dealer management system will require several days and not weeks. The timing of the restoration of other impacted CDK applications remains unclear at this time. Group 1's ability to determine the material impact, if any, of the CDK incident and the resulting service outage, will ultimately depend on a number of factors, including when, and to what extent, the Company resumes its access to CDK's dealers' systems. Group 1 is closely monitoring this situation and will take additional action if determined necessary,” a statement said.
Group 1 is also asking customers for patience if they are planning to buy a car or get service on their vehicle.