CDK Global told its auto dealer customers Tuesday that the suite of software tools that power their businesses likely won't be fully functional for the rest of the month after the company was hacked. causing a system-wide outage.
The announcement comes a week after the first CDK cyber attack, what the company calls a “ransom event.””, crippling 15,000 car dealers in the US
“We feel it is important to share that we do not believe we can get all dealers live before June 30,” CDK Global said in a recorded message on a helpline and in a memo sent to dealers on Tuesday.
The company added that it is “continuing the recovery process of our core applications” and that progress has been made to get the systems functional again after multiple cyber attacks by a group believed to be based in Eastern Europe brought them down.
With the outage expected to last at least another five days, CDK encouraged its dealer customers to consider other ways to process sales until the system is fully restored.
“Should you need to make alternative plans for your month-end financial close process, you will need to do so to keep your dealership running until applications are restored,” CDK said in the recording. It also directed customers to a dealer center with commonly used applications and forms that remain available to customers.
The cyber attacks have left many behind car dealer spins his wheels as they try to serve car buyers. Some dealerships have closed during the outage, while others say they have millions of dollars at stake. CDK has not indicated whether it will offer customers financial remedies related to the outage.
