Last week, a cyberattack on dealership software-as-a-service platform CDK Global crippled America’s auto sellers.
Now, the group behind the attack is reportedly demanding tens of millions of dollars in ransom, Bloomberg News reported Friday (June 21), citing a source familiar with the matter.
That source said that CDK plans to pay the ransom to the hacking group, which is thought to be based in Eastern Europe.
Meanwhile, a report Sunday by Reuters said CDK had begun to restore its systems, with the company issuing a statement saying it expects the process to take “several days.”
The attack happened last Tuesday (June 18) on the CDK dealership management system (DMS), used by thousands of U.S. car dealerships, as well as by carmakers such as Toyota, Kia, Stellantis and BMW.
The attack has effectively shuttered many businesses, with others turning to paper-based processes for record-keeping and administration. CDK had told its customers on Thursday (June 20) that its dealer’s system would likely not be available for several days.
“It’s just mass chaos at this point,” Diana Lee, the chief executive officer of Constellation, a marketing agency that works with American car dealers, told Bloomberg. “The dealer’s required to actually run a DMS for sales, service, parts, for every single functionality — even stocking a vehicle, you can’t do it without the DMS system. So it is a disaster.”
As PYMNTS wrote last week, this cyberattack spotlights the increasing threat of ransomware attacks on the business world, especially in businesses heavily dependent on digital and IT infrastructure. What’s different now is that as technology has advanced, with managed services and applications becoming more crucial to business operations, giving the impact of cyberattacks a much greater reach.
“And if an attack on a critical infrastructure provider that leaves the sector it services unable to operate sounds familiar, it’s because similar incidents are on the rise, a fact that underscores the need for companies to invest in robust cybersecurity measures and incident response plans,” that report said.
For example, this year has already seen the cyberattack on Change Healthcare, a billing and payments unit owned by UnitedHealthcare, which led to total disruptions at healthcare clinics, medical billing companies and pharmacies. This attack, believed to have been the work of a ransomware gang known as ALPHV or BlackCat, ultimately cost UnitedHealthcare $872 million.
And the attacks haven’t slowed down since then, either. As covered here, a “significant volume of data” was stolen from at least 165 customers of multi-cloud data warehousing platform Snowflake on June 10, and last week brought the news that that data from LendingTree subsidiary QuoteWizard stolen in the Snowflake breach is being auctioned off to the highest bidder on cybercriminal forums.
We get a lot of press releases here at PYMNTS. We consider all of them, and some are more newsworthy than others. But this one really got our attention. This past week, Diebold Nixdorf made headlines with its announcement of successfully installing two new automated teller machines (ATMs) at the U.S. National Science Foundation’s McMurdo Station in Antarctica. This achievement marks a significant milestone in banking accessibility, to be sure. We would like to meet the crew that installed them. We’d also like to know why they needed two. Was there a line at the first one? More to come on that.
According to Diebold, McMurdo Station is Antarctica’s largest research and logistics hub, supporting a fluctuating population that ranges from fewer than 200 residents during the winter months to up to 1,100 individuals during the summer (October through February). The presence of these ATMs is crucial, it says, as the next closest banking facilities are thousands of miles away, making them the only ATMs on the entire continent. How’s that for a value proposition?
The DN Series ATMs are designed for always-on availability. And why do they need two? One ATM is actively in use, while the second serves as a backup for spare parts, ensuring uninterrupted service in this isolated area. These machines are connected to the DN AllConnect Data Engine, which leverages Internet of Things (IoT) connectivity, machine learning, and artificial intelligence (AI) to monitor their performance. A dedicated team continuously aggregates and analyzes technical data to identify potential issues, enabling remote diagnostics and repairs. The ATM can be maintained by trained staff at NSF McMurdo Station, or the Diebold Nixdorf service team can remotely guide them through the repair process.
Anyway, it got us thinking. Are there other surprising ATMs in extreme locations? Well, of course, there are. Here’s a sampling of what we found.
At an altitude of about 5,364 meters (17,600 feet), the Mount Everest Base Camp in Nepal is another unexpected place to find an ATM. Although it’s not a permanent fixture and is often set up seasonally, it caters to climbers and trekkers who need cash for local transactions. This temporary ATM service underscores the adaptability of banking services in extreme environments.
In some parts of the Amazon rainforest, particularly in Brazil and Peru, ATMs can be found in small villages and towns. These machines are vital for local communities, providing access to cash in areas where digital payment options might be limited. The presence of ATMs here demonstrates how banking services can reach even the most remote communities.
Located in the Tibet Autonomous Region, Nagqu is home to one of the highest ATMs in the world. This region is very remote, with limited infrastructure, making the presence of an ATM a notable example of banking accessibility in extreme environments.
In the Thousand Islands (Kepulauan Seribu) off the coast of Jakarta, Indonesia, there’s a floating ATM. This unique ATM serves the local community and tourists on the islands, demonstrating how banking services can adapt to isolated marine environments.
Longyearbyen, the administrative center of the Svalbard archipelago in Norway, boasts the most northerly ATM. This location is one of the most remote inhabited places on Earth, with limited access to mainland Norway, making the ATM a vital service for residents and visitors.
On a more serious note, the installation of ATMs in places like Antarctica and other remote locations highlights the evolving nature of banking technology. With advancements in IoT, AI and remote diagnostics, it’s becoming increasingly feasible to provide banking services in areas previously considered inaccessible. As we look to the future, it will be interesting to see where else ATMs might appear. Whether it’s on a remote island, at the top of a mountain or even in space, the ability to access cash is becoming more universal than ever. And who knows? Maybe one day, we’ll see an ATM on Mars, serving the first interplanetary travelers.
For now, the presence of ATMs in unexpected places reminds us that banking is not just about transactions; it’s about connecting people and communities across the globe, no matter how remote they might be.
