7 Reasons Why Hackers Target Auto Dealership Businesses

In recent years, the automotive industry has witnessed a monumental shift towards digitalization. It is undergoing a significant digital transformation, opening up new opportunities for businesses and consumers. 

According to a 2023 report by Verizon, the automotive industry is the third most targeted industry by cybercriminals, behind only the healthcare and financial services industries.

While this transition has streamlined operations, it has also opened up new avenues for cyber threats. However, this transition has also created new cybersecurity challenges, particularly for auto dealerships. 

This blog delves into the seven key reasons hackers increasingly set their sights on auto dealerships, urging the industry to fortify its cybersecurity defenses.

Before we delve deeper into understanding why it is important to have a secure business, let us look at a few numbers: 

Did you know that the global automotive cybersecurity market size is projected to grow from USD 2.5 billion in 2023 to USD 6.0 billion by 2028, at a CAGR of 18.5%?

Moreover, about 84% of customers say they would not buy another vehicle from a dealership if a breach compromised their data. With 36% of data breaches at dealerships related to phishing, it’s not surprising that dealerships rated phishing as their top concern. 

Hence, it is key for businesses to look for safe and secure ways to tackle these pressing issues.

Why Do You Need To Understand Why Hackers Target These Businesses?

Understanding why hackers target specific businesses, including auto dealerships, is essential for several reasons:

• Effective Defense: Knowing the motivations and methods of hackers enables businesses to build more effective defense strategies. By understanding their specific threats, auto dealerships can prioritize their cybersecurity efforts and resources to address the most likely attack vectors.

• Risk Assessment: Understanding the reasons behind cyberattacks helps businesses assess their level of risk. This knowledge allows them to identify vulnerabilities and potential entry points for hackers, enabling them to take preventive measures to reduce their risk exposure.

• Tailored Security Measures: Different types of attacks require different security measures. When businesses understand why hackers target them, they can implement security solutions that are tailored to their unique needs and vulnerabilities, making their defenses more robust and efficient.

• Resource Allocation: Knowing the motivations behind cyberattacks helps businesses allocate resources wisely. They can invest in cybersecurity tools, personnel, and training where it matters most rather than adopting a one-size-fits-all approach that may not effectively protect against specific threats.

• Incident Response Planning: In the event of a cyberattack, having insight into the attacker’s motives can guide incident response efforts. It helps organizations prioritize actions and recovery efforts, as well as understand the potential consequences of a breach.

• Compliance and Regulations: Understanding the specific threats facing their industry can aid businesses in complying with industry-specific regulations and standards related to cybersecurity. This knowledge can help them tailor their security practices to meet compliance requirements.

• Customer Trust: Demonstrating an understanding of cybersecurity threats and a commitment to protecting customer data can enhance customer trust. Auto dealership customers want to know that their personal and financial information is secure when they do business with these establishments.

• Insurance and Risk Management: Many businesses have cyber insurance policies in place. Understanding the motives behind cyberattacks can help businesses work with insurers to ensure that they have appropriate coverage for the specific risks they face.

• Continuous Improvement: The cybersecurity landscape is constantly evolving. Understanding why hackers target a business allows them to stay informed about emerging threats and adapt their security measures accordingly, ensuring ongoing protection.
• Competitive Advantage: Businesses that take a proactive approach to cybersecurity and demonstrate a thorough understanding of the threats they face can use this as a competitive advantage. Customers, partners, and stakeholders are more likely to trust and engage with businesses that prioritize cybersecurity.

7 Reasons Why HackersTarget Auto Dealership Businesses

1. Financial Gain

Auto dealerships are essential financial hubs, with daily payment data flowing through their systems. This makes them attractive targets for cybercriminals seeking to profit illegally. Cybercriminals who can infiltrate and steal payment information can conduct fraudulent transactions with devastating consequences.

2. Valuable Customer Data

Auto dealerships store a large amount of customer data, including personal and financial information and contact information. This makes them easy targets for cybercriminals who want to steal sensitive data. Stolen customer data is precious on the dark web, which can be used for identity theft and other illegal activities.

3. Customer Information for Scams

Hackers are getting better at tricking people into giving them their personal information. They often send emails or text messages that look like they’re from a real dealership, and they may even pretend to be a dealership employee.

If you fall for one of these scams, the hackers could steal your credit card information or other personal data. 

This could have serious financial consequences for you, and it could also damage the dealership’s reputation.

To steer clear of dealership fraud, heed the following advice:

• Steer clear of any emails or text messages from a dealership that ask for personal information like your Social Security or credit card numbers.

• Reach out directly to the dealership to verify the authenticity of any suspicious emails or text messages.

• Avoid clicking on links in communications from dealerships. Instead, manually visit the dealership’s official website.

• Exercise caution when sharing information on social media. Scammers sometimes exploit social platforms to gather personal details from potential victims.

4. Reputational Damage

Hackers often target auto dealerships to damage their reputation and trustworthiness rather than simply stealing money. By compromising dealerships’ security and launching destructive attacks, cybercriminals can erode customers’ trust in these businesses. Dealerships need to understand these motivations to take proactive steps to protect their reputation.

5. Interconnected Systems

Modern auto dealerships rely heavily on integrated systems, such as inventory control and customer relationship management (CRM) software. While this integration can improve efficiency, it also creates new risks. Hackers are skilled at finding vulnerabilities in these systems, and they can pose a severe threat to the smooth operation of dealerships.

6. Supply Chain Vulnerabilities

Auto dealerships are gateways to the largest automotive supply chains. Hackers recognize this and may target dealerships to gain access to the larger ecosystem. Once inside, they have the potential to cause widespread damage, affecting not only the dealership but the entire supply chain.

7. Ransomware Attacks

Ransomware is a serious threat to auto dealerships. Malicious software encrypts a dealership’s data and demands a ransom payment in exchange for the decryption key. A successful ransomware attack can bring dealership operations to a halt and damage customer trust. It is essential for dealerships to understand the potential impact of a ransomware attack to put effective defenses in place.

Here are some potential repercussions an auto dealership may face following a ransomware attack:

• Data loss: The attack may encrypt critical client information, financial records, and inventory data, severely impeding or rendering dealership operations impossible.

• Disruption of business operations: Selling vehicles, processing payments, and providing customer support could all be hindered by the ransomware attack, resulting in lost sales and damage to the dealership’s reputation.

• Eroded customer rust: The assault could tarnish the dealership’s reputation and the faith of its clientele. Concerns about data security may lead customers to hesitate in conducting future business with the dealership.

How to Tackle The Lack of Cybersecurity Awareness

The auto dealership industry needs to improve cybersecurity awareness. Many factors contribute to this knowledge gap, such as lack of resources, inadequate training, and failure to recognize the seriousness of the problem. This industry-wide blind spot makes dealerships more vulnerable to cyberattacks.

Autosoft can help auto dealerships improve cybersecurity awareness in several ways. It can provide specialized training programs and easily accessible resources to educate dealership staff on cybersecurity concepts and best practices.

They also offer comprehensive solutions that utilize cutting-edge technologies and industry best practices to strengthen the cybersecurity posture of dealerships.

By providing specialized solutions and knowledgeable advice, Autosoft fills the gap between vulnerability and resilience, enabling auto dealerships to operate safely online.

Here are essential measures for auto dealerships to fortify their defenses against cyberattacks:

• Implement a layered security approach, incorporating firewalls, intrusion detection systems, and anti-malware software.

• Regularly perform updates on software and systems to stay ahead of potential vulnerabilities.

• Provide comprehensive training to staff on identifying phishing attempts and adhering to top-tier cybersecurity practices.

• Collaborate with third-party providers to ensure they have robust security measures in place.

• Establish a clear-cut strategy for responding to a cyberattack.

By taking these steps, auto dealerships can help to protect themselves from cyberattacks and minimize the impact on their business and their customers.

Wrapping Up 

In the face of these seven compelling reasons, it is clear that auto dealerships must prioritize cybersecurity. Every auto dealership must assess its cybersecurity readiness and aggressively strengthen its defenses. 

They provide cutting-edge solutions and resources to help dealerships fortify their defenses against cyber threats. This includes implementing a layered security approach, training employees on cybersecurity best practices, and planning to respond to a cyberattack.

By following these steps together, they provide cutting-edge solutions and resources to help dealerships fortify their defenses against cyber threats. 

Let us secure the future of auto dealerships and protect customers’ trust worldwide.

Author

Bryce Veon

About Bryce Veon