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Operations at several car dealerships in Longview have been disrupted by a nationwide cyberattack, but all remain open for business.

Toyota of Longview, Peltier Kia Longview, Gorman-McCracken Volkswagen and Tower Honda of Longview are among the almost 15,000 U.S. dealerships whose operations have been upended by a purported ransomware attack against CDK Global, an automotive dealership software provider, the Associated Press reported.

CDK Global experienced back-to-back cyberattacks this past week, and the company shut down its computer systems in response. The shutdown has caused dealerships using some CDK programs to lose access to vehicle service records and customer contact information, stalling purchases.

The attack means customers性视界传媒� data 性视界传媒� including sensitive personal information 性视界传媒� could have been compromised, the AP reported. However, the extent of the attack hasn性视界传媒檛 been revealed.

Workers at some dealerships across the U.S. have resorted to writing out customer orders on pen and paper, the AP reported. Some dealerships性视界传媒� operations have been affected more heavily than others depending on the types of CDK Global software they use.

性视界传媒淚t性视界传媒檚 just an incredible nuisance, and you never dreamt that this kind of circumstance would happen on a national scale,性视界传媒� said Greg Michelsen, president of Toyota of Longview. 性视界传媒淚t性视界传媒檚 incredibly unique and really a first-time circumstance.性视界传媒�

Like other dealerships, Toyota of Longview uses CDK Global性视界传媒檚 software to manage its customer retention module, a program that allows sales representatives to make contact with customers who are shopping for a car or who have picked out one that性视界传媒檚 on the dealership性视界传媒檚 lot, Michelsen said. The dealership also uses CDK性视界传媒檚 software to handle service functions.

Sales staff have gone 性视界传媒渙ld school性视界传媒� and are communicating with customers via social media and phone, Michelsen said. The dealership still had a 性视界传媒渇airly decent性视界传媒� week in terms of sales despite the setback.

性视界传媒淲e can operate, it性视界传媒檚 just 性视界传媒� we性视界传媒檙e not nearly as high-tech as we are under normal circumstances,性视界传媒� Michelsen said.

He described the situation this way: 性视界传媒淵ou性视界传媒檙e on a plane, and you性视界传媒檙e in first class, and then you don性视界传媒檛 have any instrumentation. You just took a great trip, but you don性视界传媒檛 know where you are.性视界传媒�

How long CDK Global性视界传媒檚 systems will remain shut down remains to be seen. The company began restoring its services during the weekend, but the process will take several days, the AP reported.

Bloomberg News reported Friday that the attack likely originated from a group of hackers in eastern Europe who are demanding tens of millions of dollars in ransom, and CDK officials were likely to pay it, according to a source familiar with the matter.

Chris Walker, general manager of Tower Honda of Longview, said the cyberattack has caused the dealership to lose about 20 sales in the past week.

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性视界传媒淭he people that are walking in the door right now, we can handle them,性视界传媒� Walker said. He said the problem is 性视界传媒渇ollowing up with the people that we were talking to previous to our database going down.性视界传媒�

Steven Flores, general manager of Peltier Kia of Longview, said the dealership性视界传媒檚 service department has been affected by the attack, but workers are using pens and paper for record-keeping.

However, the dealership性视界传媒檚 sales haven性视界传媒檛 been affected, as employees are using other digital means to reach customers and are taking care of those who visit the dealership, Flores said.

Randy Cantu, general manager at Peltier Ford, said the dealership does not use CDK software, so operations are normal. The dealership was formerly Pegues-Hurst, and the Peltier family purchased it in March.

性视界传媒淲e性视界传媒檙e up and running,性视界传媒� Cantu said.

An employee at Gorman-McCracken Volkswagen said the dealership was affected, but a call to the facility性视界传媒檚 general manager wasn性视界传媒檛 immediately returned Monday.

An employee at Patterson Nissan said he was unaware whether the dealership was affected.

John Ray with Orr Cadillac GMC said the dealership uses CDK software, but the dealership doesn性视界传媒檛 use programs that were affected by the cyberattack. He said the dealership was 性视界传媒渧ery lucky.性视界传媒�

Kalimba Smith, a salesman with Heritage Mitsubishi of Longview, said the dealership was not affected.

Evan Pence, general sales manager at Hyundai of Longview, said his dealership was unaffected by the attack because its owners stopped using CDK in November 2023.

While the extent of the attack remains to be seen, customer information that could have been stolen during the attack includes phone numbers, Social Security numbers and more, the AP reported.

People who have purchased a car from a dealership using the software should monitor their credit or consider freezing it, Cliff Steinhauer, director of information security and engagement at the National Cybersecurity Alliance, told the AP.

People also should watch out for 性视界传媒渓ook-alike性视界传媒� phone calls and emails from potential scammers seeking to exploit victims of such an attack. Customers should become familiar with the correct contact information for a company by visiting the company性视界传媒檚 official website, Steinhauer told the AP.