A group that claims to have hacked software company CDK Global is demanding a ransom of tens of millions of dollars, Bloomberg reports.
CDK, which provides software to North American auto dealerships, intends to pay the ransom, but talks could change, Bloomberg reported, citing people familiar with the matter.
According to Bloomberg, sources said the group behind the hack is believed to be based in Eastern Europe.
USA TODAY has reached out to CDK Global for comment.
CDK Cyber Attack:Hackers force car dealership’s software system to shut down after cyber attack
Three days after the cyber incident began
The CDK cyber outage lasted three consecutive days, affecting the software management tool and disrupting operations at car dealerships across the United States.
CDK spokeswoman Lisa Finney said the company shut down most of its systems on Wednesday “out of an abundance of caution” for its customers. The company restored some systems later that afternoon, but shut them down again after additional cyberattacks occurred, according to a letter sent to customers.
“Out of a continuing sense of caution and to protect our customers, we are again proactively shutting down the majority of our systems,” the letter said. “We are currently assessing the full impact and are in consultation with external third-party experts.”
The company did not provide an estimate for when the system would be back up and running. Dealers continued to report issues with the CDK system on Friday.
CDK Global partners with 15,000 retailers
Finney declined to answer questions about how many dealerships were affected, but CDK’s website says the company works with more than 15,000 retailers across North America.
CDK is one of the nation’s leading providers of cloud-based software to dealerships that helps them manage vehicle acquisition, sales, financing, insurance, repairs and maintenance. The company’s website states that it offers a “three-tiered cybersecurity strategy to prevent, protect and respond to cyber attacks.”
