ST. LOUIS — Car dealers across the country continue to grapple with an ongoing cyberattack. It's led to a software outage, forcing dealers to use manual paperwork and causing delays for customers.
5 On Your Side spoke with concerned drivers and experts about what this hack could mean for you and your car.
Downtown St. Louis drivers on Monday morning were sentimental when talking about the cars they've had for years.
"It's been good to me," Tony Allen said about his 2004 GMC. "It's my little treasure."
However, on June 19 hackers were looking for a different kind of treasure when CDK Global, a company that provides daily operational software to 15,000 car dealerships nationwide, reported a cyberattack.
Hackers are demanding millions in ransom from the company.
It's a devastating blow, said local car consultant Matt Fleshman.
"This has shuttered the dealerships that had CDK because they can not process appointments, service your car, arrange for a financial transaction or even answer a simple question like, 'Do I have gap insurance?'" Fleshman said.
CDK launched an investigation and started the restoration process, but that will take several days to complete.
5 On Your Side reached out to CDK directly, who said they're providing customers "with alternate ways to conduct business."
That translates into using pen and paper at auto dealerships.
Local automotive leaders are now concerned about what turning your car on may mean in terms of turning it over to digital threats.
"What I think everyone wants to know is: was their data compromised?" Fleshman said. "On the surface level, it doesn't appear that's what this ransom was about. It was really about getting quick money from people."
Several local auto dealers luckily weren't impacted.
Bommarito Automotive Group uses Reynolds and Reynolds to manage logistics, telling 5 on Your Side on June 24 that they've seen a rise in sales and services as many dealers are "dealing with this disruption."
Yet, drivers said they're more concerned about their window being smashed than cyberattacks.
"Yes, I get worried about a lot, but I try to not think about it that much," Allen said. "It concerns me, but you got to keep on living."
Fleshman said it was local Chrysler, Dodge, and Jeep dealerships that seemed to be impacted most by the cyber incident.
5 On Your Side reached out to several other dealerships who didn't respond as of Monday afternoon. Automotive experts said it may be a good idea to reach out to a dealer directly to see if they are affected.