CDK Global attack impacts truck dealers

Commercial truck dealers continue to feel the impact of a cybersecurity attack on dealer management system provider CDK Global. 

Penske Automotive Group, the parent company of medium- and heavy-duty truck dealer Premier Truck Group, became aware of the second CDK Global cybersecurity attack on June 19, according to the company’s 8-K filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission. Following the cybersecurity breach, many of CDK Global’s systems were inoperable, a problem that persists. 

While Penske Automotive does not use CDK’s dealer management system in the United States or internationally, it does use it at its Premier Truck Group subsidiary, according to the 8-K filing.  

 “We immediately took precautionary containment steps to protect our systems and commenced an investigation of the incident, which efforts are ongoing,” the filing stated. 

Premier Truck Group primarily sells, services and repairs Daimler Truck’s Freightliner and Western Star heavy-duty truck brands across 48 locations in 11U.S. states and the Canadian provinces of Ontario and Manitoba, according to the filing. 

Rising cybersecurity threats remain a problem, with 3,205 publicly reported data compromises in 2023, up 78% from 2022 and 72.3% compared with the previous high in 2021, according to the Identity Theft Resource Center’s 2023 Data Breach Report. The 3,205 compromises affected an estimated 353 million people in 2023, down 17% YoY but up 17.4% compared with 2021. 

The current attack on CDK Global has affected more than 15,000 automotive and commercial truck dealerships, according to published reports. 

Truck dealers reopening

In addition to Premier Truck Group, other truck dealer groups, including All-American Ford of Hackensack, N.J.; Minn.-based Dave Syverson Truck Centers, Canada-based Diamond Truck Centre, 25-location Larson Group, Minn., S.D., and Wisc.-based Rihm Kenworth, and Penn.-based TransEdge Truck Centers had their systems shut down as part of the CDK Global breach, according to LinkedIn. The Larson Group, as well as other dealer groups, continue to reopen using manual procedures. 

“In some instances, our services may be somewhat delayed as a result of this ongoing incident,” the company stated in a June 21 release. 

Premier Truck Group also implemented its business continuity plans, according to the filing. 

“Premier Truck Group … continues to operate at all locations through manual or alternate processes developed to respond to such incidents,” according to the filing. “The commercial truck dealership business has lower unit volumes than the automotive dealership business and principally serves business customers.” 

Penske Truck Leasing and Penske Logistics were not affected by the CDK Global attack, a company spokesperson told Equipment Finance News.