As cyber threats continue to evolve, car dealerships remain vulnerable despite growing awareness and investment. CDK’s State of Dealership Cybersecurity 2025 study reveals that while 90% of dealership leaders recognize the importance of cybersecurity protocols, fewer than half feel confident in their systems’ ability to protect against attacks.
Key insights from this year’s report include:
- Cyberattack Trends: One in five dealerships reported being targeted in 2025, with phishing and ransomware remaining top threats.
- Employee Training Gaps: Despite being a critical defense, staff training saw a decline, with fewer dealerships offering onboarding or regular cybersecurity education.
- Investment Shifts: Overall spending dipped slightly, though most dealers plan to increase investment in the coming year.
- Compliance and Third-Party Support: Dealers are leaning more on third-party providers, especially those with auto-specific expertise, to meet regulatory demands and bolster defenses.
CDK also offers a clear snapshot of where dealerships stand today, what threats they face, and the strategic steps they’re taking to protect their operations. To learn how best to prioritize training, assess vulnerabilities, and invest wisely in cybersecurity infrastructure.[1]
Report: The State of Dealership Cybersecurity 2025 study:
Any car dealership is a significant investment. Not just in terms of financial capital, but also in toil and sweat from the Sales floor to the Dealer Principal’s office. All of the effort that makes these businesses successful can be neutralized by a single cyber-attack. CDK has surveyed dealership leadership for five years to understand their approach to cybersecurity and where they see the industry addressing this integral threat to their business. This year, there are clear indicators that awareness is at near highs, yet many dealers do not feel like they are prepared despite the investments they have made.
Nine out of 10 dealers feel that having a cybersecurity protocol in place is very or extremely important, essentially the same number as the past two years of its study. Yet less than half (48%) feel confident their own systems will fully protect them. That is up significantly from last year, but it has yet to rebound to the 53% seen in 2023.
Link to full report: https://www.cdkglobal.com/insights/cybersecurity-dealership-2025-closing-confidence-gap-high-risk-landscape#flipbook/1/
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Red Sky Alliance is a Cyber Threat Analysis and Intelligence Service organization. We provide indicators of compromise information via a notification service (RedXray) or an analysis service (CTAC). For questions, comments or assistance, please contact the office directly at 1-844-492-7225, or feedback@redskyalliance.com
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[1] https://www.cdkglobal.com/insights/cybersecurity-dealership-2025-closing-confidence-gap-high-risk-landscape/
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