A recent Automotive News opinion piece titled “In our opinion: Thwarted dealership cyber attack indicates that lessons from last year have been learned” highlights how the auto retail industry is beginning to apply critical lessons from the 2024 CDK cyber attack. In March, a new cyber threat was successfully blocked by Reynolds and Reynolds’ Proton division, potentially saving hundreds of dealerships from serious disruption. The article points out that the CDK cyberattack, which cost dealerships over $1 billion in lost vehicle sales and led to a $25 million ransom payment, served as a wake-up call. Industry experts like Erik Nachbahr of Helion Technologies emphasize the need for constant vigilance, fast response, and strong partnerships with cybersecurity vendors to avoid repeating history. As dealers grow more reliant on technology, maintaining robust cybersecurity is no longer optional—it’s essential.
CDK Cyber attack Lessons Help Dealerships Thwart New Threat — Automotive News
About the author
Erik Nachbahr
Founder & President, Helion Technologies
Erik Nachbahr founded Helion Technologies in 1997 and has spent nearly 30 years working exclusively with automotive and heavy truck dealerships. Helion now supports more than 2,000 dealerships and 35,000 end users with managed IT, cybersecurity, FTC Safeguards compliance, Tekion enablement, and managed AI, all under one team. A CISSP, Erik writes and speaks about the parts of dealership technology most operators inherit rather than choose: vendor sprawl, AI governance, and cyber risk. His goal is simple: make the technology work so dealerships can focus on what they do best, selling and servicing cars and heavy trucks.
Confidence in your current setup and actual protection aren't always the same thing. The only way to know which one you have is to look.
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