Auto retailers and car dealerships across the United States are grappling with ongoing outages after experiencing a second cyberattack targeting CDK Global, a tech company that develops software used for managing auto customers and their vehicles. In a message to customers, CDK Global stated that the recent cyberattack may result in extended outages without providing an estimated timeframe for resolution.

CDK Global's customer support teams have been made unavailable as a precautionary measure to maintain security. The company's spokesperson, Lisa Finney, confirmed the second incident and noted that "most of our systems" had been shut down as a result. CDK Global is working closely with third-party experts to assess the impact and provide regular updates to customers.

The software developed by CDK Global is used in approximately 15,000 dealerships. Reports of the initial cyberattack emerged on Wednesday when car dealerships reported outages in their CDK-run dealer management systems. These systems are essential for handling customer appointments, vehicle records, and other critical information. Affected dealerships had to rely on workarounds that did not depend on the downed software.

CDK Global did not disclose the nature of the initial cyberattack but acknowledged shutting down all their systems on Wednesday. Although some CDK functions were restored by Wednesday afternoon, it remains uncertain if the second cyberattack is related to the first. CDK Global did not respond to questions regarding potential data exfiltration or their ability to determine if any customer data was stolen.

The extent of the outages has raised concerns among auto retailers and car dealerships, who are eager to resume their usual business operations. CDK Global is working diligently to reinstate their services and support their dealers as quickly as possible. Customers are advised to stay updated on the situation as CDK Global provides further information.

Updated on June 20 at 1pm ET, CDK Global released their latest statement regarding the ongoing cyberattacks. Further details regarding the breaches are still being investigated.

If you have any information regarding the CDK cyberattacks, you are encouraged to contact the reporter via Signal, WhatsApp, or email to help shed light on the situation.