THE THREAT
On June 19th, CDK Global, a major provider of technology solutions for automotive dealerships, experienced a significant operational disruption due to a ransomware attack executed by the BlackSuit ransomware group. This incident led to a widespread outage affecting over 15,000 car dealerships across the United States and Canada.
The ransomware attack has halted critical services provided by CDK Global, including dealer management systems, Customer Relationship Management (CRM) tools, and other essential software solutions. This has forced many dealerships to revert to manual processes, significantly slowing down their operations, affecting sales and service capabilities.
The attackers have demanded a multi-million-dollar ransom to restore the affected systems. Although the specific amount has not been publicly disclosed, it has been reported to be in the tens of millions. CDK is negotiating with BlackSuit and, according to sources familiar with the matter, is planning to make the payment. There is currently speculation that the ransom demand has already been met. CDK publicly stated on June 22nd that full restoration is expected in several days, as opposed to weeks. The average recovery time from a ransomware attack without paying the ransom is approximately three weeks. Despite this speculation, a spokesperson declined to comment on a potential ransom payment.
The eSentire Threat Intelligence team assesses that it is almost certain BlackSuit will continue performing ransomware attacks throughout 2024, barring significant law-enforcement intervention. In the event of successful ransomware deployment, organizations are strongly encouraged to avoid ransom payment. Paying an extortion demand does not guarantee decryption or the deletion of stolen data.
What we’re doing about it
- eSentire MDR for Endpoint maintains a variety of rules to detect ransomware and common ransomware precursor activity
- eSentire MDR and Network and Endpoint have rules in place to identify a wide variety of information stealer malware
- Information stealers are often used to exfiltrate credentials which are later employed for access ofor sold via darkweb marketplaces
- The eSentire product suite maintains an array of detections for BlackSuit TTPs outlined below
- The eSentire Threat Intelligence team is actively monitoring this topic for additional details and detection opportunities
What you should do about it
- Deploy Endpoint Detection and Response (EDR) to all workstations and servers
- Educate employees on phishing and web-based delivery methods
- Ensure users are trained to identify and report potentially malicious emails and websites
- Only download software from legitimate sources and avoid going to sponsored Google Ads to acquire software
- Implement the Principle of Least Privilege
- Ensure networks are properly segmented to limit lateral movement in your environment
- Only allow a list of approved software to be installed in your environment
- Employ a darkweb monitoring service to identify compromised credentials being distributed online
- Enforce the use of Multi-Factor Authentication (MFA)
- RDP, VPN, Microsoft 365 environment (conditional access policy)
- Update and patch systems
- Regularly update and patch the systems for known vulnerabilities
- Implement strong passwords policy
- Regularly audit user accounts and rotate users’ password
- Implement backup and disaster recovery plan
- Implement regular backup and disaster recovery process
- Creating regular backups of all data and systems, and storing these backups in a secure, offsite location
- Ensure all backup data is encrypted and immutable
- Establish an Incident Response process for ransomware attack and table toping it regularly
- Regularly test backups and your disaster recovery plan
- Deploy a Web Application Firewall (WAF) to protect external facing application
- Install Next-Gen Anti-Virus (NGAV) and ensure all the signatures are up to date
- Block RMM tools in your environment if they are not required
- Splashtop, Atera, TeamViewer, ConnectWise, LogMeIn, SuperOps, ect
- Restrict the use of PsExec to only required users
Additional information
BlackSuit ransomware emerged in May 2023 as a rebrand of the Royal ransomware gang. This group is known to perform double-extortion, where data is exfiltrated prior to encryption, and stolen data is publicly released via a leak site if an extortion demand is not met. According to public reports, the group primarily targets healthcare, education, Information Technology (IT), communications, government, retail, and manufacturing industries in the United States. This pattern of targeting indicates a financial motive, concentrating on key industries that likely have limited cybersecurity budgets OR those which cannot afford significant downtime. This increases the odds of a successful attack or a quick ransom payment to avoid disruption.
For initial access into organization, BlackSuit has been identified employing various methods. These include phishing, abuse of Remote Desktop Protocol (RDP), exploitation of vulnerabilities in Internet-facing applications, and purchasing stealer logs and credentials via darkweb marketplaces. Once access is established, BlackSuit has been observed using PsExec, RDP, and Remote Monitoring and Management (RMM) tools, including AnyDesk, LogMeIn, and Atera for lateral movement and persistence. Kerberoasting via the Rubeus tool is used to collect additional credentials from compromised devices. Victim data is exfiltrated using tools including 7Zip, WinSCP, and File Transfer Protocol (FTP).
While the initial access method employed by BlackSuit to access CDK Global has not been publicly disclosed, the eSentire Threat Intelligence team was able to identify a large number of CDK domains in credential logs being sold online. These credential logs may be purchased and could be employed to access CDK, assuming that the credentials remain valid.
Following the initial ransomware attack on CDK Global, the company has issued a warning to its customers about threat actors impersonating CDK support representatives. These actors are attempting to gain unauthorized access by contacting customers directly. The attackers are using social engineering techniques, including phone calls and possibly email, to deceive customers into revealing sensitive information or granting system access. In their warning, CDK stated "CDK associates are not contacting customers for access to their environment or systems."
References:
[1] https://www.bleepingcomputer.com/news/security/cdk-global-outage-caused-by-blacksuit-ransomware-attack/
[2] https://archive.ph/Y7iyQ
[3] https://www.cnn.com/2024/06/23/business/cdk-cyber-attack-global-outage/index.html
[4] https://www.ctvnews.ca/business/cdk-hackers-want-millions-in-ransom-to-end-car-dealership-outage-bloomberg-news-reports-1.6936612
[5] https://www.bleepingcomputer.com/news/security/cdk-warns-threat-actors-are-calling-customers-posing-as-support/
[6] https://www.sec.gov/Archives/edgar/data/1043509/000104350924000059/sah-20240619.htm
[7] https://www.cisa.gov/news-events/cybersecurity-advisories/aa23-061a
[8] https://www.govinfosecurity.com/cdk-begins-restoring-systems-amid-ransomware-payment-reports-a-25605
