AutoCanada, a major Canadian car dealership, this week disclosed a cyberattack that may result in some disruptions.
The incident was discovered on August 11 and it impacted some internal IT systems, the company said.
“Immediately upon detecting the incident, AutoCanada took action to safeguard its network and data. This included engaging with leading cybersecurity experts to assist us with containment and remediation efforts, as well as to conduct a thorough investigation to understand the scope and impact of the incident,” AutoCanada said.
“As the investigation is ongoing, the full scope, nature and impact of the incident, including the extent to which any customer, supplier or employee data has been accessed is not yet known. Although our business operations remain open at this time, the incident may result in disruptions until the relevant systems are fully restored,” it added.
While it has not shared any additional information on the cyber incident, the company’s brief description suggests that it may have been targeted in a ransomware attack.
AutoCanada operates 70 dealerships in Canada and 18 in Illinois, in the United States, selling tens of thousands of new and used vehicles every year.
On the same day it announced the cybersecurity incident, AutoCanada revealed that its financial results for the second quarter of 2024 were negatively impacted by the recent ransomware attack suffered by CDK Global.
Many car dealerships in North America were forced to use pen and paper in June after cybercriminals breached the systems of CDK Global, which provides software for thousands of auto dealers in the US and Canada.
Another car dealership, Florida-based AutoNation, also reported lower quarterly earnings due to the CDK Global incident.
CDK reportedly paid a $25 million ransom to a BlackSuit ransomware affiliate.
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