Cyber attack target car finance company about 15,000 car dealers in the United States was finally ended, almost certainly thanks to a ransom paid.
According to sources who spoke to CNN, CDK paid a $25 million ransom to end the attack. The ransom was paid in bitcoin, leaving no trace. CNN describe:
Chris Janczewski, head of global investigations at cryptocurrency tracking firm TRM Labs, told CNN that on June 21, about 387 bitcoins — worth about $25 million at the time — were sent to a cryptocurrency account controlled by hackers linked to a type of ransomware called BlackSuit.
A week after the payment was made, CDK said it would bring the car dealerships back online on its software platform. Cryptocurrencies allow digital assets to be exchanged outside the traditional banking system, but records of those transactions are accessible on the blockchain.
The cyberattack lasted two weeks and proved to be a major embarrassment for car dealership software company CDK. The attack crippled car dealerships and forced them to go back to doing business with pen and paper like animals. Power outages are likely. Number of cars sold affected in June.
Janczewski did not tell CNN exactly who made the payment, but sources said the money was transferred to affiliates with ties to Blacksuit and the payment was routed through an account connected to a company that helps companies process ransom payments from cyberattacks.
CNN attempted to get a statement from CDK on the matter, but the company ignored the request. Ultimately, we’ll probably never know the exact details of how it all happened.
