The following is a report from CBS News.
CDK Global is now calling the cyberattack that took down its software platform for its auto dealership clients “a ransom event.”
In a note to clients Saturday, CDK for the first time acknowledged that the hackers that made its dealer management system, or DMS, unavailable to clients for days, are demanding a ransom to restore its systems.
“Thank you for your patience as we recover from the cyber ransom event that occurred on June 19th,” CDK said in a memo to clients on Saturday, according to a copy of the email obtained by CBS MoneyWatch.
CDK added in the note that it has started restoring its systems and expects the process of bringing major applications back online “to take several days and not weeks.”
In its memo, the company also warned car dealerships to be alert to phishing scams, or entities posing as CDK but who are in fact bad actors trying to obtain proprietary information like customers’ passwords.
A CDK spokesperson told CBS MoneyWatch that it is providing customers “with alternate ways to conduct business” while its systems remain inoperative.
The cybercriminals behind the CDK attack are linked to a group called BlackSuit, Bloomberg reported on Monday, citing Allan Liska of computer security firm Recorded Future. In a June 21 story, the media outlet also said the hackers were demanding tens of millions of dollars and that CDK planned to pay the ransom.
Read the full report from Megan Cerullo at CBS News here.