Cyberattacks against dealers up 155% year-over-year at the end of Sept.

Cyberattacks against the auto industry have continued to rise since this summer, putting additional pressure on dealerships to protect their consumers’ data. (2 min. read)

Author

Colin Velez
October 29, 2024

Cyberattacks against the auto industry have continued to rise since this summer, putting additional pressure on dealerships to protect their consumers’ data.

Driving the news: New data on security trends within the car industry shows a massive spike in attempted attacks following the CDK breach in late June, according to Proton Dealership IT.

  • Cybersecurity events trended relatively flat in the months leading up to June. However, after the CDK attack, incidents surged roughly 232% month-over-month, hitting a new peak in July.

  • While activity has since cooled down, the number of attacks remains higher than the yearly average by about 155% as of late September.

  • Dealers are likely to see another rise in activity before the year’s end since data breach attempts often go up during the holiday season. Cyberattacks against the car industry during the winter months were about 14.4% higher than during spring.

Zooming in: The CDK Global incident heightened awareness of the retail auto sector’s vulnerabilities among bad actors, incentivizing attacks. This likely explains why activity remains so elevated this late in the year. While most dealers have taken extra steps to protect themselves since June, the industry should be prepared for this unwanted attention to last well into the future, even if an attack of the same size is unlikely.

Looking ahead: With cyberattacks trending higher than before, it’s important for dealers to stay in the know about their responsibilities in the event of an incident.

  • Retailers are required to notify the Federal Trade Commission of a data breach within 30 days when the incident involves the information of at least 500 customers.

  • The 30-day timer starts as soon as “your employee, officer, or other agent” becomes aware of the incident. This makes good organizational communication essential for dealerships.

Bottom line: Dealers have a renewed sense of the importance of cybersecurity in daily operations. With data breach attempts remaining elevated months after the CDK Global incident, this heightened awareness will play a critical role in keeping customers safe.

Become an automotive insider in just 5 minutes.

Get the weekly email that delivers transparent insights into the car market.

Join 81,000 others now, it's free:

Tired of brokers overcharging and slow shipping?

Auto Hauler Exchange is connecting shippers and carriers directly on our online marketplace — no brokers allowed. With 5,000+ vetted carriers, dealers can move vehicles faster and explore new markets. On average, it takes just 5 days from listing to delivery. Don't know how long your vehicles are taking to ship? That’s another reason to try Auto Hauler Exchange.

Get analytics and reporting to better understand your costs and timelines. Best of all, it’s free to list your vehicles, with a transparent fee for shipping — no hidden costs.

Ready to speed up your shipping? Contact the Auto Hauler Exchange team to set up your shipper account today!

Reply

or to participate.