Imagine if the software you rely on to close deals, process payments, and pay your employees suddenly went down—and you had no idea when it would be fixed. How would your business cope? Could you continue operating? These are not hypothetical questions; they’re the harsh reality faced by over 15,000 car dealerships across the U.S. and Canada in June when a double cyber-attack hit their industry’s leading software provider, CDK Global.
This attack crippled the sales, financing, and payroll systems of thousands of dealerships, forcing many to halt operations or revert to manual methods. If you’re a small business owner, this incident is a stark reminder of how crucial it is to have strong cybersecurity measures in place.
What Happened?
The first cyber-attack struck on the evening of Tuesday, June 18th. CDK Global, acting quickly, took their entire system offline to investigate the breach. While the system was briefly restored the next day, a second attack forced it offline again. It’s believed that the system was brought back online too soon, before all compromised areas were fully secured, leading to the second breach. Experts suggest it could be weeks before CDK Global’s system is fully operational again.
Some dealerships managed to switch to manual processes temporarily, but the incident exposed the vulnerabilities inherent in relying too heavily on digital systems. In today’s fast-paced digital world, where most business transactions are just a few clicks away, an outage can bring critical operations—like completing sales, managing payroll, and interacting with financial institutions—to a grinding halt. For small business owners, this means potential financial losses and operational delays that could significantly impact their bottom line.
What’s Next?
CDK Global has yet to reveal the exact cause of the attacks, possibly because they are still investigating the full extent of the breaches. Large companies often struggle to pinpoint the exact details of a cyber-attack on the first pass, especially if multiple vulnerabilities are exploited.
This situation should prompt every small business in New Jersey to reevaluate their own systems. Are you prepared to continue operating if your digital systems go down? Do you have a reliable business recovery and continuity plan in place?
Why You Need a Strong Cybersecurity Strategy
This incident is a wake-up call for all business leaders. If you don’t have a robust business continuity plan in place, you’re leaving your business exposed to significant risks. And if you do have a plan, you need to ask yourself if it’s been thoroughly tested and if it’s capable of handling a large-scale cyber-attack that could disable multiple operational systems.
What You Can Do Now
At Titan Technologies, we understand that cybersecurity is not just an IT issue—it’s a critical business issue. That’s why we offer a FREE Security Risk Assessment to help you safeguard your business. This assessment will do two crucial things:
- Identify Vulnerabilities in Your Network: We’ll thoroughly analyze your network to pinpoint any weaknesses that could be exploited by cybercriminals. We’ll then offer tailored solutions to patch these vulnerabilities, reducing the risk of your business becoming the next target.
- Develop a Continuity and Recovery Plan: Even the best cybersecurity measures aren’t foolproof. That’s why you need a solid plan in place to ensure your business can continue operating if a cyber-attack occurs. We’ll work with you to develop a recovery plan that makes sense for your specific needs, ensuring you’re prepared for any eventuality.
Don’t wait until it’s too late. Protect your business now. Call us at 732-972-6665 or click here to book your FREE Security Risk Assessment with one of our cybersecurity experts. At Titan Technologies, we’re here to help you secure your future.
