Ransomware Attack and Software Glitches Reveal Fragility in U.S. Car Dealerships and Global Systems

A surprising situation unfolded this summer when buying a car in the U.S. became nearly impossible. In June, a ransomware attack targeted CDK Global, a Chicago-based software company with a market value of about $6.4 billion, halting operations at thousands of dealerships for almost three weeks. Approximately half of the U.S. auto industry depends on CDK Global’s software for daily operations.

Shortly after, a malfunctioning software update from cybersecurity firm CrowdStrike caused disruptions worldwide, affecting millions of computers running Microsoft Windows. This glitch impacted critical infrastructure, including airports, banks, hospitals, and government services.

Cybersecurity experts are now concerned as these events signal a more unstable future. The consolidation of software providers and lack of competition in industries offering essential services create risks. A single software failure could bring entire industries to a standstill, and experts warn the next incident could be even worse.

Previously, cyberattacks and outages were either brief or focused on individual targets. However, the attacks on CDK Global and CrowdStrike were different. Rory Mir, associate director of the Electronic Frontier Foundation, emphasized that these events highlight the severe risks linked to reliance on a single softwar

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