BUSINESS
What happened to Findlay Auto Group? Is it the same cyberattack as CDK Global?
Attention is being called to the cyberattack on the Findlay Auto Group last week as the impact of the massive attack on CDK Global continues to unfold. Are the two events connected?
After the cyberattack on CDK Global that has led thousands of car dealerships in the US to cease operations, attention is being called to an attack that took place last week on Findlay Auto Group. Last week’s attack on the group, which operates in Arizona, Idaho, Nevada, Utah, and Washington, targeted what the company described in a statement as “certain areas of its IT systems.” Around thirty of the company’s dealerships were affected by the attack, a fraction of the 15,000 that are reportedly unable to access their sales software in light of the CDK Global attack that occurred this week.
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The investigation is underway
Once company officials had become “aware of the issue,” an investigation was started in coordination with “leading cybersecurity experts and law enforcement.”
As of 10 June, when the company released a brief statement on Facebook, their ability to “ability to conduct sales and service [was] restricted.” However, the customer service team stood prepared to help customers over the phone, and the company said that more information would be released as the investigation proceeded. These investigations take time; until the full extent of the attack is known, the company is unlikely to provide more details. KTNV Las Vegas reported that the Federal Bureau of Investigation is supporting the inquiry into exactly who is responsible for the attack, the scale of the incident, and how it was able to take place. The news outlet also reported that some Findlay customers are taking the company to court for failing to protect their personal data adequately.
Are the two attacks connected?
At this point, such questions cannot be answered. Though CDK Global has informed customers that it suffered an attack, it has yet to make any public-facing comments.
Findlay Auto Group is still in the early stages of its investigation, so it’s hard to determine if the attack was carried out in any similar way. Car Dealership Guy, an account that posts about automotive news on X, pointed out that these attacks should raise many questions within the industry about whether cybersecurity has received the necessary focus to protect businesses and customers.