For many auto and truck dealerships, Microsoft 365 feels safe by default. After all, it’s Microsoft. It powers your email, Teams chats, SharePoint files, OneDrive documents, and increasingly, the daily operations of your dealership. But here’s the uncomfortable reality: cybercriminals know that too. Today’s attackers are no longer just trying to break into dealership networks … Read more
If your dealership uses Microsoft 365 for email, file sharing, Teams chats, or day-to-day operations, the FBI’s latest warning deserves your attention. A new phishing toolkit called “Kali365” is helping cybercriminals break into Microsoft 365 accounts in a way that bypasses traditional passwords and even multi-factor authentication (MFA). That’s the part dealership executives need to … Read more
If you think cybersecurity threats targeting dealerships are already intense… brace yourself. A recent report highlighted a critical shift in the threat landscape: AI isn’t just making cyberattacks more sophisticated—it’s making them more frequent, more accessible, and dramatically more scalable. And that changes everything for dealership cybersecurity. The Real AI Threat: Volume, Not Complexity When … Read more
Why Dealership Cybersecurity Requires a Risk-Based Approach Auto and truck dealerships rely heavily on technology and dealership cybersecurity to run their operations. Dealer Management Systems (DMS), CRM platforms, lender integrations, digital retail tools, and growing use of AI all rely on sensitive data and interconnected systems. At the same time, regulations such as the FTC … Read more
Cybercriminals have found a lucrative way to streamline their attacks and maximize their gains: by using Initial Access Brokers (IABs). These brokers specialize in gaining access to networks—like yours—and then selling that access to other cybercriminals. They’re essentially the middlemen of the cybercrime world, and their customers range from ransomware groups looking to cash in … Read more
The point at which the cybercriminal emerges and demands ransom is the endgame of a cyber-attack – not the beginning. The key to minimizing – or even eliminating – the impact that a cyber-attack can have on your dealership is to detect the attack early in its lifecycle. To do this you need the right … Read more
Unfortunately, many businesses have not properly invested in the cybersecurity best practices that are required to effectively defend against a cyberattack. For many businesses, their defense of choice has been either to: Bury their heads in the sand and hope the cybercriminal stays away. Get cyber insurance and just pass the risk onto the insurer. … Read more
According to the Harvard Business Review, in 2020 ransomware attacks grew 150% from 2019 and the amount that victims paid increased by more than 300%! As a result of the ransomware onslaught, we are all exposed to what feels like a constant stream of ransomware related horror stories. And, unfortunately, the reality is that for … Read more
Attacks are becoming more sophisticated, and many dealerships are vulnerable. Arrigo Automotive Group is one of many auto dealerships that have been targeted by ransomware in recent months, Lindsay VanHulle reports in Automotive News. In early December 2019, an unsuspecting employee opened a phishing email, launching a successful ransomware attack that halted business for several … Read more