CDK Global calls cyberattack that crippled its software platform a “ransom event” [Video]

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.”

Beware of phishing

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 …