Podcasts about cdk global

Today, I'm sitting down with David Thomas, Director of Content Marketing at CDK Global to discuss: Tesla polarizing customers and the brands they are flocking to, The potential impact of auto tariffs and how manufacturers are pivoting, the coming drought of used rental inventory—plus much more. This episode is brought to you by: DriveHRIS - DriveHRIS streamlines hiring, onboarding, timesheets, PTO tracking, and payroll—all in one seamless platform. Let DriveHRIS handle HR and Safety so you can focus on what really matters—boosting your CSI scores, improving customer experience, and selling more vehicles. Visit @ https://drive2025.com/ to grab your FREE workbook on 'Retention Strategies for Dealerships in 2025. PayJunction - Are you leaving money on the table with your current payment processor? This is why PayJunction provides a modern, integrated payment solution that lowers costs, improves financial visibility, and streamlines transactions for auto dealers without requiring a software change. Ready to cut costs and save time? Download this free guide to learn how PayJunction can help your dealership optimize payments and cut costs here @ https://carguymedia.com/payjunction

Welcome to the Car Dealership Guy Podcast. In this episode, I sit down with Michael Speigl, Dealer Principal of We Auto, a Michigan-based dealer group. We discuss the lessons he learned from working for Lithia and how they shaped his own dealerships, why he's investing over $250K in company culture, and the phone call that changed his family's life forever, along with much more. This episode is brought to you by: 1. Phone Ninjas - Is your store missing opportunities before they even hit the lot? Phone Ninjas helps dealers maximize every opportunity with custom scripts and critical coaching on actual customer calls. Get your team certified today and watch your appointment set and show rates double! Visit @ https://www.phoneninjas.com/ to start winning today! 2. CDK Global - our trusted technology partner for car dealers and automakers. CDK doesn't just deliver top-tier tech solutions; they provide game-changing industry insights. Beyond top-tier tech, their Friction Points Study uncovers what's slowing car purchases—highlighting how dealers are closing time gaps and why F&I remains crucial. Get the full report at https://www.cdkglobal.com/insights 3. CDG Recruiting - Building on the success of my industry job board, I'm launching CDG Recruiting — a more hands-on, personalized automotive recruiting service. Our team has decades of experience and has successfully placed over 1,000 roles in the automotive industry. So if you're ready to find your next rockstar employee, try CDG Recruiting today by visiting @ https://www.cdgrecruiting.com/

Welcome to the Car Dealership Guy Podcast. In this episode, I'm joined by Brian MacDonald, CEO of CDK Global. We explore why he's betting $250M on a major shift in automotive retail, the winners and losers as service department trends evolve, and his prediction for a wave of dealership acquisitions this year—and much more. This episode of the Car Dealership Guy Podcast is brought to you by: 1. Richtech Robotics - Titan is the autonomous parts delivery system that keeps techs in bays, helping you reach new heights of productivity. By eliminating wasted trips to the parts counter, Titan boosts fixed ops efficiency by up to 12%, accelerating service times and streamlining operations. Let Titan handle the heavy lifting – reducing injuries, cutting downtime, and raising your dealership's profitability. For a limited time, Richtech Robotics is offering a FREE 2-week pilot – just cover shipping. Visit @ richtechrobotics.com/cdg to book your trial now. 2. Kenect - The platform auto dealers are using to gather reviews, generate leads, and improve their online reputation, all powered by AI. – Visit @ https://www.kenect.com/

* Cybersecurity in 2024: Top Stories that Rocked the Digital World* Over 4,000 Compromised Systems Exposed Through Hijacked Web Backdoors* Desperate Job Seekers Targeted by WhatsApp Employment Scams* Voice Phishing Rings Target Crypto Investors Using Apple Support Line* Neglected Domains Fuel Rise in Malicious Email CampaignsCybersecurity in 2024: Top Stories that Rocked the Digital Worldhttps://www.bleepingcomputer.com/news/security/the-biggest-cybersecurity-and-cyberattack-stories-of-2024/The year 2024 was marked by an unprecedented wave of cybersecurity incidents, from devastating data breaches to crippling ransomware attacks. As new threat actors emerged and vulnerabilities were exploited, both private and public organizations struggled to keep pace. BleepingComputer highlighted the most impactful stories, and here's a summary of some of the year's most critical incidents:Major Cyberattacks and Data Breaches* Internet Archive Breach – In October, a dual attack hit the Internet Archive, exposing the data of 33 million users and forcing service disruptions. Threat actors exploited an exposed GitLab configuration file to gain access.* National Public Data Leak – A staggering 2.7 billion personal records, including Social Security numbers, were leaked in August. The breach impacted millions, with hackers later leaking the data for free on a hacking forum.* Microsoft Email Breach by Russian Hackers – Russian-backed group Midnight Blizzard infiltrated Microsoft's corporate email, stealing sensitive communications and source code. The breach extended to U.S. federal agencies, raising national security concerns.Industry-Wide Disruptions* Faulty CrowdStrike Update Crashes Millions of Devices – A botched update from cybersecurity giant CrowdStrike in July led to 8.5 million Windows devices crashing worldwide. Cybercriminals capitalized on the chaos by distributing malware through fake repair tools.* CDK Global Ransomware Attack – A Black Suit ransomware attack on auto-industry SaaS provider CDK Global disrupted operations for car dealerships across the U.S., halting sales, financing, and service.* UnitedHealth Ransomware Incident – A February ransomware attack on Change Healthcare, a UnitedHealth subsidiary, affected the healthcare sector nationwide. The company paid a $20 million ransom to restore operations, but extortion attempts continued.Government Actions and Security Reforms* Kaspersky Banned in the U.S. – The Biden administration banned Kaspersky antivirus in June, citing national security concerns. A forced migration to UltraAV left users outraged.* Telecom Hacks by Chinese Group Salt Typhoon – Chinese state-sponsored hackers breached major U.S. telecom providers, stealing call data and infiltrating surveillance platforms. The attacks prompted legislative action to improve telecom cybersecurity standards.* LockBit Ransomware Disrupted – In February, international law enforcement seized LockBit's infrastructure, but the ransomware group re-emerged days later with renewed threats. Despite efforts to return to prominence, LockBit struggled under continued pressure from global authorities.Emerging Threats* Rise of Infostealers – Information-stealing malware campaigns surged, targeting everything from browser data to cryptocurrency wallets. Cybercriminals used infostealers to breach corporate networks and financial accounts, prompting renewed calls for two-factor authentication.* North Korean IT Worker Scheme – North Korean operatives posed as remote IT workers to infiltrate U.S. companies and fund their nation's operations. A high-profile arrest in August highlighted the growing threat, with several companies unknowingly hiring such agents.Looking AheadAs cyber threats grow more sophisticated, 2024 underscores the critical need for robust cybersecurity measures. Organizations must strengthen defenses, governments must implement stricter regulations, and individuals must adopt best practices like multi-factor authentication to mitigate risks in an increasingly digital world.Over 4,000 Compromised Systems Exposed Through Hijacked Web Backdoorshttps://www.bleepingcomputer.com/news/security/over-4-000-backdoors-hijacked-by-registering-expired-domains/Security researchers at WatchTowr Labs have discovered thousands of active web backdoors hijacked by registering expired domains used to control them. These backdoors, found on systems belonging to governments, universities, and other organizations, provide persistent access for malicious actors.By registering expired domains associated with these backdoors, researchers gained control and observed communication from over 4,000 compromised systems. This included systems within government networks in China, Nigeria, and Bangladesh, as well as educational institutions in Thailand, China, and South Korea.The research highlights the ongoing threat posed by abandoned infrastructure. Even after initial attacks, expired domains associated with backdoors can still be exploited by other cybercriminals. This underscores the importance of proper security measures and the need for organizations to regularly review and update their security posture.WatchTowr Labs, in collaboration with The Shadowserver Foundation, is now monitoring these hijacked domains to prevent their re-use by malicious actors.Desperate Job Seekers Targeted by WhatsApp Employment Scamshttps://www.theage.com.au/national/broke-desperate-jobseekers-are-falling-for-gold-mine-employment-scams-in-droves-20250105-p5l26q.htmlAustralians struggling to find work are falling victim to sophisticated employment scams operating on platforms like WhatsApp, costing individuals and businesses thousands of dollars.These scams often involve impersonating legitimate businesses and offering enticing work-from-home opportunities. Victims are then lured into making upfront payments under false pretenses, with the promise of high returns that never materialize.One such scam targeted the business of Gareth, a marketing agency owner, who received numerous messages from individuals who had been defrauded by scammers impersonating his company. Victims reported losing significant sums of money, with some even facing financial ruin.The scams often involve complex schemes, with victims required to make multiple payments to "unlock" higher earning potential. These schemes prey on the desperation of job seekers, particularly those facing financial hardship.While platforms like WhatsApp offer encryption, they have been criticized for their limited efforts to combat these scams. Experts argue that these platforms have a responsibility to detect and prevent fraudulent activity, such as blocking accounts involved in scams and removing misleading advertisements.The Australian government is taking steps to address the issue, including proposing new legislation to hold social media companies accountable for scams facilitated on their platforms. However, the fight against these sophisticated scams continues.This article highlights the urgent need for increased vigilance and stronger measures to protect individuals from falling victim to online employment scams.Voice Phishing Rings Target Crypto Investors Using Apple Support Linehttps://krebsonsecurity.com/2025/01/a-day-in-the-life-of-a-prolific-voice-phishing-crew/A new report reveals how sophisticated voice phishing gangs are exploiting legitimate services from Apple and Google to steal millions from cryptocurrency investors. These groups, operating within secretive online communities, utilise advanced social engineering techniques and exploit vulnerabilities in security measures.One key tactic involves abusing Apple's support line. By spoofing the victim's phone number, attackers can initiate a call to Apple support and request a notification to be sent to all the victim's Apple devices. This seemingly legitimate notification, which appears to originate from Apple, builds trust and allows the attackers to guide the victim through a series of steps, ultimately leading them to a fraudulent website where they enter their login credentials.These groups meticulously research their targets, leveraging data brokers to gather personal information and identify high-value individuals. They employ sophisticated tools and techniques, including "autodoxers" that automate data collection and verification, to refine their target lists and increase their chances of success.The internal dynamics of these groups are characterised by a precarious balance of collaboration and betrayal. Members often compete for rewards, leading to internal conflicts and the rapid dissolution of groups. This volatile environment creates a constant churn, with new groups forming and disbanding frequently.While companies like Apple are taking steps to enhance security measures, the sophistication of these attacks continues to evolve. This highlights the urgent need for increased vigilance and a multifaceted approach to combatting these sophisticated cyber threats.Neglected Domains Fuel Rise in Malicious Email Campaignshttps://thehackernews.com/2025/01/neglected-domains-used-in-malspam-to.htmlCybersecurity researchers have uncovered a concerning trend where cybercriminals are increasingly exploiting neglected domains to evade email security measures and deliver malicious payloads.By spoofing sender addresses with domains that lack active DNS records, attackers can bypass security checks like SPF and DMARC, which rely on domain authentication mechanisms. This allows them to deliver malicious emails containing phishing links, malware attachments, and extortion threats with greater success.One such observed campaign leverages old, disused domains to deliver emails with QR codes that, when scanned, redirect victims to phishing sites. Other campaigns impersonate legitimate brands like Amazon and Mastercard to steal login credentials.Furthermore, the rise of generic top-level domains (gTLDs) like .top, .xyz, and .shop has provided cybercriminals with readily available and inexpensive options for establishing malicious infrastructure. These domains, often lacking robust registration requirements, are increasingly used for hosting phishing sites and distributing malware.Beyond email-based attacks, the threat landscape is evolving with the emergence of new tactics. These include the use of trusted platforms like Canva and Dropbox to redirect users to malicious sites, and the development of malicious WordPress plugins designed to steal payment information.These findings underscore the need for continuous vigilance and robust security measures to combat the ever-evolving tactics of cybercriminals. This is a public episode. If you would like to discuss this with other subscribers or get access to bonus episodes, visit edwinkwan.substack.com

IN EPISODE 213: In Episode 213, Matt DiBari, Chief Product Officer at SpotHero, drops by to discuss how to put teams into drive. We chat about ways Spot Hero develops collaboration across its product and technical teams, how it uses customer feedback to stay ahead of the curve, and how it maintains company culture during rapid growth. Plus, Matt offers me a crash course in parking within the lines. ABOUT MATT DIBARI: Matt DiBari is Chief Product Officer at SpotHero. He first joined SpotHero as VP of Product, bringing more than 15 years of experience to the job, including prior roles at Cars.com and CDK Global.

Welcome to The Weekly, your go-to roundup of the top five auto industry headlines of the week. This week's top stories: 1. Amazon officially starts selling new Hyundai vehicles online 2. Prime auto loan borrowers lean toward the used car market 3. Wholesale used car prices up year-over-year in November 4. Dealer reputations improve online, but customers still have gripes 5. CDK Global fires back at Tekion's anti-trust lawsuit Have a tip for our editorial team? Send us your scoop at insights@cardealershipguy.org. This episode is brought to you by: Upstart — Dealers, if you're looking for a smarter way to connect your customers with financing, Upstart has you covered. They partner with over 100 banks and credit unions, leveraging advanced AI models to provide superior credit products. From automotive retail loans to refinance options, Upstart's platform is designed to meet the needs of your business and your customers. Learn more at upstart.com or click the link in the show notes below. Prefer to read? Take a look at the companion newsletter for this episode here: https://news.dealershipguy.com Have a tip for our editorial team? Send us your scoop at insights@cardealershipguy.org. Check out Car Dealership Guy's stuff: CDG News ➤ https://news.dealershipguy.com/ CDG Jobs ➤ https://jobs.dealershipguy.com/ CDG Recruiting ➤ https://www.cdgrecruiting.com/ My Socials: X ➤ https://www.twitter.com/GuyDealership Instagram ➤ https://www.instagram.com/cardealershipguy/ TikTok ➤ https://www.tiktok.com/@guydealership LinkedIn ➤ https://www.linkedin.com/company/cardealershipguy/ Threads ➤ https://www.threads.net/@cardealershipguy Facebook ➤ https://www.facebook.com/profile.php?id=100077402857683 Everything else ➤ dealershipguy.com This podcast is for informational purposes only and should not be relied upon as a basis for investment decisions.

Shoot us a Text.12 days until Christmas, and today we've got Todd Caputo joining the show to discuss the Tekion lawsuit against CDK, how to make the most out of the last 2 weeks and GPT's latest update that gives it vision.Show Notes with links:The battle over dealership data is heating up as Tekion files a federal antitrust lawsuit against CDK Global, claiming anti-competitive practices. CDK, however, is firing back, labeling the lawsuit as retaliatory and lacking merit.Tekion's lawsuit accuses CDK of abusing its control over dealership data to stifle competition in the DMS market.CDK claims the suit is retaliation for a cease-and-desist letter regarding Tekion's “unauthorized access” to CDK's systems.A spokesperson for CDK called the lawsuit a “marketing stunt” and emphasized its history of facilitating dealer and vendor data transfers.Tekion cited CDK's initial refusal to share data with Asbury Automotive Group as an example of anticompetitive behavior.A court ruled in October that CDK must provide Asbury with data for its pilot of Tekion's system, following delays by CDK.ChatGPT can see. OpenAI introduced live video input and screen-sharing capabilities for ChatGPT during its Day 6 live stream event.Users can now analyze and discuss visual contexts in real time through a new video icon in the mobile app.The update is available to Plus, Pro, and Team subscribers, with Enterprise and Edu users gaining access in January.A new festive voice option lets users chat with Santa, available as a seasonal feature until early January.As this upgrade fulfills OpenAI's promise of visual understanding, further solidifying the shift towards conversational AI with advanced vision capabilities.OpenAI CEO commented: “This brings ChatGPT closer to true multimodal interaction.” Hosts: Paul J Daly and Kyle MountsierGet the Daily Push Back email at https://www.asotu.com/ JOIN the conversation on LinkedIn at: https://www.linkedin.com/company/asotu/ Read our most recent email at: https://www.asotu.com/media/push-back-email

Shoot us a Text.It's Thursday, and we're almost halfway through November. Today, we're talking about a CDK study that says car buying got harder for consumers in October, how Tesla has exhausted its Cybertruck reservation list and OpenAI's autonomous Operator that's coming to a computer near you.Show Notes with links:According to a recent CDK Global study, shoppers struggled a bit more in October with finding the right car as inventory disruptions such as stop sales, model turnovers, and natural disasters took a toll on the Ease of Purchase.87% of buyers reported an easy car-buying experience, down from September's 89% and August's record 93%.Only 49% of shoppers could buy their preferred vehicle on the lot, down from 54% in September, with the test-drive ease rate also slipping to 78%—a rare dip below 80%.Complaints about "too many things to choose from" and excessive paperwork led to a slight drop in ease for form completion, falling to 70% in October from 72% in September.The time it took to finalize purchases increased for 32% of buyers, up from 25% in September. Just 15% experienced a quicker purchase process, a significant drop from last month's 25%.Tesla has begun offering Cybertrucks directly from new vehicle inventory, indicating that its once-massive reservation backlog may have dwindled.U.S. buyers can now order and receive a Cybertruck in roughly a week, suggesting Tesla has exhausted its initial backlog.Despite over a million initial reservations, Tesla has only delivered approximately 50,000 Cybertrucks in the United States so far.Changes in the production model, including a higher price and lower range than originally promised, may have deterred some reservation holders.Tesla has expanded Cybertruck deliveries to Mexico and Canada to match rising production capacity.OpenAI is set to release a new AI agent, codenamed "Operator," designed to take actions on users' computers, like writing code or booking travel. The tool is expected to launch as a research preview in January.Operator will be available through OpenAI's API, allowing developers to integrate it into various applications.The tool aligns with an industry trend toward AI agents capable of completing complex, multi-step tasks autonomously.Competitors like Anthropic, Microsoft, and Google are also developing similar agent tools to manage tasks for users.OpenAI's Sam Altman has hinted at this shift, calling it the next “giant breakthrough” in AI during a recent Reddit AMA.Hosts: Paul J Daly and Kyle MountsierGet the Daily Push Back email at https://www.asotu.com/ JOIN the conversation on LinkedIn at: https://www.linkedin.com/company/asotu/ Read our most recent email at: https://www.asotu.com/media/push-back-email

Welcome to the Car Dealership Guy Podcast. In this episode, I'm speaking with David Thomas, Director of Content Marketing at CDK Global where we dive into a Q4 auto market forecast: How Gen Z is buying cars, Have we reached an EV sales equilibrium, why overnight test drives sell cars, Trends and predictions for the quarter ahead. This episode of the Car Dealership Guy Podcast is brought to you by: Cars Commerce - The platform to simplify everything about buying and selling cars. Learn more at https://www.carscommerce.inc/ CDK Global - CDK will once again be streaming its annual industry conference CDK Connect 2024 on October 22. This year's virtual CONNECT conference will feature CDK's latest product innovations, a keynote from CEO Brian MacDonald, and live breakout sessions focused across all operations of the dealership.  You can register for CDK CONNECT at the link in our notes below or by visiting http://CDK.com/Connect CDG Recruiting - a more hands-on, white-glove automotive recruiting service with decades of experience successfully placing over 1,000 roles in the automotive industry. Try CDG Recruiting today by visiting cdgrecruiting.com Interested in advertising with Car Dealership Guy? Drop us a line here Interested in being considered as a guest on the podcast? Add your name here Topics: (00:00:00) - Intro (00:00:53) - Catching up with David (00:02:30) - CDK's Ease of Purchase study (00:08:40) - EV sales trends (00:15:32) - Will there be brand dispersion in Q4? (00:19:13) - EV shopper journey studies (00:26:17) - Buying patterns across age groups (00:30:47) - The Dealership as a workplace study Check out Car Dealership Guy's stuff: CDG News ➤ https://news.dealershipguy.com/ CDG Jobs ➤ https://jobs.dealershipguy.com/ CDG Recruiting ➤ https://www.cdgrecruiting.com/ My Socials: X ➤ https://www.twitter.com/GuyDealership Instagram ➤ https://www.instagram.com/cardealershipguy/ TikTok ➤ https://www.tiktok.com/@guydealership LinkedIn ➤ https://www.linkedin.com/company/cardealershipguy/ Threads ➤ https://www.threads.net/@cardealershipguy Facebook ➤ https://www.facebook.com/profile.php?id=100077402857683 Everything else ➤ dealershipguy.com This podcast is for informational purposes only and should not be relied upon as a basis for investment decisions.

In this episode of GreenCars The Podcast, Trish Glose and Dave Nichols meet with Dave Thomas, Director of Marketing for CDK Global, to discuss the current trends in the electric and hybrid vehicle markets. From exploring the latest EV technology to highlighting key industry shifts, Dave shares valuable insights on what's driving the future of electrified transportation. The episode also features Trish's test drive of the new Nissan Ariya and a look into the Electrify Expo in San Francisco. Tune in for expert knowledge on hybrids, EVs, and where the industry is headed.Key Learnings:CDK's Role in the Automotive Industry: Dave Thomas discusses how CDK supports marketing and consumer research for automakers, with a focus on hybrids and EVs.Trends in Hybrid and Electric Vehicles: Key EVs dominating the market and factors driving their popularity.Challenges in EV Sales: Leasing as a growing trend due to consumer uncertainty about future EV battery tech and range improvements.Test Drive of the Nissan Ariya: Trish shares her hands-on experience with the new Nissan Ariya, showcasing its features and driving performance.Exploring the Electrify Expo: Interns give their impressions of the Electrify Expo, capturing the latest EV advancements.#GreenCarsPodcast #CDKGlobal #NissanAriya #HybridVehicles #EVTrends #ElectrifyExpo #SustainableTransportation #ElectricCars #CleanEnergy #EVFuture #EVChargingLearn more about greener driving options, or by visiting: https://www.greencars.com Have Questions? Email us: ThePodcast@GreenCars.com Connect with Us:YouTube: ‪ @greencarshq Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/GreenCarsHQLinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/company/greencarshqInstagram: https://www.instagram.com/GreenCarsHQX (Twitter): https://twitter.com/GreenCarsHQ Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

Originally uploaded July 5th. Chris Holman welcomes back Jason Cords, Executive Manager, Shaheen Chevrolet, Shaheen Cadillac, Lansing, MI. Welcome back Jason, how has 2024 gone so far for Shaheen Chevrolet & Cadillac? How has Shaheen maneuvered through the recent CDK Global database hack? Has the transition over to EVs continued? Is infrastructure coming along as needed? Are there more Hybrids? Your service department and parts distribution, can you remind us about those groups? » Visit MBN website: www.michiganbusinessnetwork.com/ » Subscribe to MBN's YouTube: www.youtube.com/@MichiganbusinessnetworkMBN » Like MBN: www.facebook.com/mibiznetwork » Follow MBN: twitter.com/MIBizNetwork/ » MBN Instagram: www.instagram.com/mibiznetwork/

Aug. 31, 2024 | Weekend Drive: Reaction to CDK Global CEO's exclusive interview by Automotive News

Aug. 29, 2024 | CDK Global CEO Brian MacDonald exclusive interview Part 2 by Automotive News

Aug. 28, 2024 | CDK Global CEO Brian MacDonald exclusive interview Part 1 by Automotive News

Shoot us a Text.There's 5 days left in the month as we welcome guest host Steve Greenfield back to the show. Today, we're covering the CDK cyberattack for hopefully the last time, Steve's new book on mobility and a unique high school that is replacing teachers with AI.Show Notes with links:CDK Global reports that two significant cyberattacks in June did not result in the theft of dealership employee or consumer data following a 3rd party expert review, despite causing widespread disruption across North America."We are pleased to report that after conducting a thorough third-party expert review of the June 19th cyber incident, we have not discovered a compromise of reportable dealer employee or consumer personally identifiable information,” said a CDK spokespersonThe attacks led to a two-week shutdown of its dealership management system, affecting 15,000 dealerships. CDK offered a one-month rebate to customers impacted, though some dealers felt it was insufficient.CDK continues to work on minimizing future risks and addressing pending lawsuits related to the attacks.The CDK spokesperson added, "Dealers can now reassure both their employees and consumers that their data is secure and continue to focus on providing excellent experiences throughout the car buying and owning journey."Steve Greenfield recently wrote a book called “The Future of Mobility”, exploring the next 10 years, and how we will move people and goods by Land, Sea, Air and Space.A high school in London is shaking up education by introducing AI tools, including ChatGPT, to replace teachers for some students, aiming to personalize their learning experience.David Game College is piloting this AI-driven program with 20 students, focusing on subjects like English, mathematics, and science.The AI tools will provide personalized learning paths, allowing students to learn at their own pace.John Dalton, co-principal, emphasized that this approach could enhance student confidence and mental health by enabling mastery of subjects.Students will still receive human support through full-time learning coaches and a diverse afternoon curriculum.Critics warn that AI can't fully replace the value of human educators, highlighting past failures like LA's AI chatbot, Ed.John Dalton, co-principal of David Game College shared "the system does not judge students. Instead, it allows them to learn at their own pace in a safe environment.”Hosts: Paul J Daly and Kyle MountsierGet the Daily Push Back email at https://www.asotu.com/ JOIN the conversation on LinkedIn at: https://www.linkedin.com/company/asotu/ Read our most recent email at: https://www.asotu.com/media/push-back-email

Steve Grzanich has the business news of the day with the Wintrust Business Minute. CDK Global, the suburban software firm that serves U.S. car dealerships, says the cyberattack that impacted its operations earlier this year does not appear to have involved the theft of dealership employee or consumer data. The Hoffman Estates-based company was hit […]

In just under an hour, gain the insights you need to better market your dealership on social media, improve the physical experience for customers coming to your store and more. Mary Rice, Dealer Principal at Toyota of Greensboro, a leading dealership in North Carolina, joins our podcast and offers tons of actionable tips for dealers to improve their business. Plus, she shares her recommendations for women joining this industry and guidance for everyone looking to advance within automotive. In this episode you'll hear:  What led Mary to leave marine studies and join the automotive industry  What her dealership did during the CDK Global outage and her advice to dealers  Her best tips for women wanting to join the industry and how to stand apart at work  How she is changing the game for her dealership through authentic social media videos – and how you can too!  How revamping her dealership led to a greater customer experience (some guests even stay past their appointments because of the atmosphere!)   Mary Rice is a third-generation car dealer. She has over 15 years of experience in the automotive industry and has graduated from the National Automotive Dealer Association (NADA) Academy, a program that prepares the next generation of dealers for success. Before joining Toyota of Greensboro, Mary had a successful career in real estate sales, where she earned the Century 21 Centurion Award for five consecutive years. She leveraged her digital marketing and sales skills, which she acquired during her real estate career, to help Toyota of Greensboro increase sales. Mary is proud to be the Toyota approved dealer of record for the Greensboro Toyota dealership since 2020, and 2023 marks the 25th year Toyota of Greensboro has received the Toyota President's Award. For more about Mary, visit her LinkedIn. Like this episode? ⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠Check out JM&A Insider⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠ for more content like this.

July 30, 2024 | Stellantis offers white-collar buyouts; Asbury sues CDK Global for data by Automotive News

A global tech outage recently disrupted flights, hospitals, and border crossings in Canada due to a faulty update on Microsoft Windows by CrowdStrike. This chaos also saw malicious emails trying to exploit the situation. With cyberattacks like the one on CDK Global affecting 15,000 dealerships, are electric vehicles (EVs) safe from hackers? Explore the risks of connected systems, software updates, and public charging stations for EVs. Learn how robust security protocols and driver education are crucial in this digital age. Join the conversation and share your thoughts below!Link to the featured video:https://youtu.be/Dz-BDC-xm9g?si=are3XmRYxHSAQVxnGrab a copy of my book:https://partsmanagerpro.gumroad.com/l/qtqax"The Parts Manager Guide" - https://www.amazon.com/Parts-Manager-Guide-Strategies-Maximize-ebook/dp/B09S23HQ1P/ref=sr_1_4?crid=3UZYOGZJUNJ9K&keywords=parts+manager+guide&qid=1644443157&sprefix=parts+manager+guid%2Caps%2C244&sr=8-4Please remember to like, share and leave your comments.Videos are uploaded weekly.Fair use is a use permitted by copyright statute that might otherwise be infringing. Non-profit, educational or personal use tips the balance in favor of fair use. No copyright infringement intended. ALL RIGHTS BELONG TO THEIR RESPECTIVE OWNERS*This video is for educational and entertainment purposes only.Become a supporter of this podcast: https://www.spreaker.com/podcast/the-auto-review-podcast-w-host-chris-clarke--4960744/support.

Watch The X22 Report On Video No videos found Click On Picture To See Larger PictureThe automobile manufactures are now getting the message and they are now moving away from the EV market. US housing is falling apart and its starting to look very similar to 2009. Trump says that JD is now on board with Bitcoin. Trump surprised by Bitcoin. The [DS] OP is now falling apart. There are two many questions, they never expected it to go down this way. [BO] has now been flushed out and they are now pushing Biden out. Most likely the will wait until he is the nominee and then replace him. DNC is now in focus in Chicago, will there be an event. The World is Watching.   (function(w,d,s,i){w.ldAdInit=w.ldAdInit||[];w.ldAdInit.push({slot:13499335648425062,size:[0, 0],id:"ld-7164-1323"});if(!d.getElementById(i)){var j=d.createElement(s),p=d.getElementsByTagName(s)[0];j.async=true;j.src="//cdn2.customads.co/_js/ajs.js";j.id=i;p.parentNode.insertBefore(j,p);}})(window,document,"script","ld-ajs"); Economy American Auto Giant Pivots Plans To Build Electric Vehicles At Major Plant To Produce Heavy-Duty Pickups Instead Ford is reversing course on plans to manufacture electric vehicles (EVs) at a major plant and instead will produce gas-powered, heavy-duty pickup trucks at the facility, Reuters reported Thursday. The company initially planned to build three-row electric SUVs at its facility in Oakville, Canada, between 2025 and 2027, but the plant will now add capacity to produce 100,000 F-Series Super Duty trucks at the plant, according to Reuters. Ford said that it is still committed to producing those EVs on that timeline, though it is unclear which of its plants will handle that production. Ford lost more than $4.5 billion on its EV product lines in 2023  Source: dailycaller.com https://twitter.com/ElectionWiz/status/1813917179232039292 https://twitter.com/GRDecter/status/1813961004054974815   https://twitter.com/Rasmussen_Poll/status/1813916120426160422 Biden administration forgiving another $1.2B in student loans The Biden administration announced on Thursday it would be forgiving another $1.2 billion in student loans, covering the debt for 35,000 people through the Public Service Loan Forgiveness program. Source: thehill.com https://twitter.com/GRDecter/status/1813921081918365719   We're in the early stages of a rate cut cycle, adding liquidity to the global economy. With the S&P at record highs, things are heating up. Buckle up! https://twitter.com/BitcoinMagazine/status/1813663239773000038 https://twitter.com/BitcoinMagazine/status/1813980967151001966   June Auto Sales Reporting Thrown off by CDK Cyberattack  As automotive retailers bounce back from the cyberattack on leading tech provider CDK Global, their financial results are murky for the period impacted by the incident, prompting challenge maintaining investor confidence. Automotive services and technology company Cox Automotive highlighted the impact of the hack, which impacted dealer management systems (DMSs) for about two weeks, on reporting. Source:  pymnts.com Political/Rights Leading 'Trump Russia Hoax' Propagandist's Wife Indicted As Foreign Spy Max Boot - a big fan of 'forever wars' who laundered Trump-Russia conspiracy theories through the Washington Post - is married to a South Korean spy who used to work for the CIA, and is a senior fellow at the Council on Foreign Relations (now on 'administrative leave) - according to a new indictment revealed on Wednesday. Boot's wife, Sue Mi Terry, 54, a native of Seoul living in Manhattan, used her position as a foreign policy expert to trade access to top US officials in exchange for luxury goods and 'high-end sushi dinners,' according to the indictment. https://twitter.com/BecketAdams/status/1813681389520277997 Terry is accused of having "disclosed sensitiv...

Host Chad Pytel interviews Monik Pamecha, the Co-Founder and CEO of Toma, a company specializing in AI for the automotive industry. Monik discusses how Toma automates phone calls for car dealerships, enhancing customer service and streamlining interactions. Despite advancements in digital communication, phone calls remain crucial in the automotive sector, and Toma leverages AI to improve these experiences significantly. Monik shares his journey in the tech industry, detailing Toma's evolution from experimenting with different AI applications to focusing on voice AI. He explains the challenges and successes faced along the way, highlighting how AI technology has matured since his early work with chatbots in 2016. The conversation reveals how Toma's voice AI quickly gained user traction, validating their focus on this innovative technology. The episode also delves into the practical implementation of Toma's AI solutions in the automotive industry. Monik emphasizes the importance of integrating AI with existing dealership software and the gradual rollout process to ensure effectiveness. He discusses the need for clear communication about AI's role in customer interactions, reflecting diverse responses across different demographics. Monik's insights provide a compelling look at the future of AI in automotive customer service. Toma (https://www.toma.so/) Follw Toma on X (https://twitter.com/toma_voice), LinkedIn (https://www.linkedin.com/company/tomavoice/), or Facebook (https://www.facebook.com/tomavoiceai/). Follow Monik Pamecha on LinkedIn (https://www.linkedin.com/in/monikp/). Follow thoughtbot on X (https://twitter.com/thoughtbot) or LinkedIn (https://www.linkedin.com/company/150727/). Transcript:  CHAD: This is the Giant Robots Smashing Into Other Giant Robots podcast, where we explore the design, development, and business of great products. I'm your host, Chad Pytel. And I'm joined today by Monik Pamecha, Co-Founder and CEO of Toma, which provides AI for the automotive industry. Monik, thanks for joining me. MONIK: Hey, Chad, thanks for having me. CHAD: Obviously, in fact, as evidenced by the guest list that we've had over the last few months, a lot of companies are either integrating AI into their products or starting new companies. And you've been around doing AI for quite a while now. Tell us about Toma. MONIK: Yeah. So, Toma automates phone calls for the automotive industry right now, and we build a lot of different AI products as well. It's an interesting market, but one of the leading users of phone calls for doing business. So, a lot of the business, which is buying cars, you know, the first touch happens over the phone, you know, people bringing in their cars for service, getting updates, and all that, like, mostly happens over the phone, even though you have had websites and apps and all of these around. And to give you, like, an idea of scale, like, there are 290 million cars in the U.S. alone, which is, like, about 90% of the population has at least one car. So, scale is massive, and Toma is making that experience of getting service and just dealing with anything related to automotive, like, 100 times better. CHAD: So, I would encourage people to go to the website and check it out, because, I have to admit, I was a little skeptical, at first, about how good the phone call could actually be. And I was impressed by how natural it was, how it was able to respond in the video demos that I saw. So, how did you know that this was going to be possible? MONIK: I think a lot of it comes from our own experiences, I mean, not with automotive, but with technology. So, I've been in tech for a long time. I mean, I started writing code when I was, I think, 11 or 12, a similar story for my co-founders as well. But I've been doing machine learning research as well in the past. In fact, this was in 2016 when I wrote a paper on this as well, and we built a chatbot that was based on generative models. And, at the time, in 2016, it was really funky. Like, Google had come up with something called Sequence to Sequence, and we were using that to train it on a little bit of data that we had, and we had something that kind of worked. And, at the time, I was thinking that, I mean, when you were working with that, you'd see it, like, go off the rails and, like, do something really stupid. It couldn't even get grammar right. And, at the time, I saw all the holes that I was like, if somebody plugged these, like, you know, this would be phenomenal. Like, this is what it takes for it to work, you know, these are the places, more from a practical experience, right? Like, if you had to take it to production, like, what would you need to fix? And then, six years later, I see that things actually started picking up, right, like, they actually fixed all those holes. And it came back to me, and I was like, all right, this is the time. You know, those were the issues. They're all fixed. Now you can go ahead and build. So, I think a lot of it came from experience as to like, all right, this is what we should build, or this is why we should build, like, in terms of the technology. But we didn't really arrive at this idea, so to speak, you know, at least as a founding team. It was a lot of pivots. CHAD: What was the original sort of idea that you said, okay, we're going to start a company to do this? MONIK: Well, that was very different from this very, very different. So, my co-founder and I, like, most founders, like, the first thing they do is they try to look for problems that they themselves have. And we're like, huh, looks like...what do we have in common? We have some chronic conditions, and we've used diet to, you know, manage them. So, maybe let's build a tool to help, you know, patients manage conditions with, you know, diet recommendations. And we spent six months on that, and it went absolutely nowhere. Also, I think consumer products are just different. They require a different kind of thinking. But, you know, we were just trying to throw something on the wall and pray it sticks. And, you know, it was honestly pretty miserable because we got banned on a bunch of communities on Reddit and Facebook trying to promote it. And, like, all the people who tried our product they just never came back again, and, you know, things like that when you have something that people don't want, right? So, we see that side. I mean, and after that, we go ahead and we try to do...I think it was during it, I don't know, like, when you get a sense of, like, something's not going to work, where, like, then we realized maybe we should stick to what we know best, which is, you know, we're both technical. So, maybe we should do something that's, you know, more relying on those skills than something entirely different, which I think Y Combinator calls it founder-market fit. I think that's also very true. Of course, you can, like, build something for a business you know nothing about, but there must be some compatibility. So, yeah, we started with that, kept on experimenting. And then, I think, at some point, we were so annoyed that we made, you know, a list on Google Sheets. And we're like, all right, let's just, you know, vomit out 10 ideas that we have had, and let's write them all, and let's go after them one by one. Let's spend two weeks until we hit something that, you know, maybe we think has legs. And the third idea or the fourth idea on that was building something with voice AI. And, at the time, even that was, like, just a horizontal platform. That was it. All right, so we go ahead and commit to that. So, if we go through the list, try the first two or three ideas, I think the first thing was...then we went on the other extreme where we're like, all right, let's do something we do all day long, which is, as engineers, we are on call. So, you know, even at, I don't know, 2:00 a.m. in the night if your system is down, you get a pager on your phone saying, "Get on the computer and fix it." And we're like, how could we make that better? That was the first thing on that list. We spent some time trying to do it and, again, we kind of get that feeling. I think the more you fail, I guess, the better you get at detecting failure. I don't know about success but failure for sure it works like that. I think the third or the fourth idea was voice AI, and then we go ahead. We hack a prototype over a weekend and then put it out on...again, the communities that we know how to market were, like, Facebook groups and Reddit. And it picks up. Like, within, like, 3 days, we had 200 demo calls set up. And that just blew our minds because having been on the other side, we're like, oh, this is what it feels like when people kind of want something, what you have. I mean, it's still not clear, right? But -- CHAD: And you put it out there as automated voice assistant for businesses? MONIK: No, actually what we did [laughs], I mean, nobody will want to click that if you put it like that [laughter]. You know, just out of curiosity, I was like, "Hey, you know, I've built this thing. It does this, you know, what do you think? Do you think this has any use for you?" And that's it. Like, people are, you know, messaging me nonstop, like, DMing me that, "Can you please share it with me? You know, I run this business. This might be helpful." It was, like, more genuine. Like, I was just exploring, but, you know, that was a question that I posed. And that had, like, so many people show up, and they're like, "How about you just give us that and we can make money off of this?" And then, we started, you know, digging deeper, and we're like, oh, okay, it looks like you have so many manual processes and across industries. So, we had, like, some people from healthcare, some people from, like, you know, MLMs, multi-level marketing, so many different industries, optometrists, some in construction. Anyway, so we're, like, thinking at that point, huh, okay. Maybe there is something here. Again, no mention of automotive, no mention of dealerships, nothing. We had a single dealership then. And I would say this was, like, about six months. I don't even know how many months ago, but, like, a couple of months ago. I think, at the time, is when we applied to Y Combinator as well. CHAD: So, you applied to Y Combinator with the voice idea. MONIK: Right. And we put something out there. I forget if it was the healthcare idea or the voice idea, but it's probably one of the two. I mean, that's also the other thing about Y Combinator. I think they don't really focus on ideas as much as they just focus on teams, which I think is probably the best practice. You know, we pivoted again [laughs]. But yeah, so we did voice AI, and then spent some time just trying to do everything, right? Trying to build a horizontal layer for voice, where building assistance for all kinds of businesses. And, you know, one of the businesses, at the time, was a dealership. I always like to think of this as an arranged marriage, where, you know, we have the customer. We kind of work through it -- CHAD: So, you had an actual dealership that you were partnered with as sort of a expert in the industry? MONIK: Our first customer, right. And they were very progressive dealers, so they're always trying new things. And, at the time, we were working with a bank. We were working with some healthcare locations as well. We had some construction industry... whatnot. And we were going crazy trying to build something because everybody had these different requirements. And then, in practice, like, if you push AI out in the wild, to make it work, you need a lot of things, like deep domain expertise being one of them. So, that realization is happening, you know, where we're coming to terms with that. And, at the same time, it works really well for the dealership, and they bring another customer. And they're like, "Oh, they also want to use it," and we're like, "Okay, sure. We'll turn it on." Then we do it. And then, it works again. And then, they bring more customers. And then, we're like, wait a minute, you know, like, we're not doing any outreach. We're not pushing out anything, and it seems like customers want it. And then, there are these other places where we're struggling so much. Like, even with healthcare, you know, the regulations in banking and healthcare they slow down, you know, any sort of, like, AI implementations. So, even that world was very different with the automotive space. And you kind of do more of it and then you're like, oh, okay, looks like there is something here, and then we just decide to double down on that space. And then, we go further deep in and you realize, oh -- CHAD: Did Y Combinator...that can be a difficult decision for founders to make. So, did being in Y Combinator help you sort of give you the push to make that kind of bold decision? MONIK: At least from our experience, it's always been that they're, like, get to the truth very quickly, whatever it is, and then make a decision. Do not delay it. I think we were, in fact, slow to do that. I think they were probably pushing people to do it more because we saw companies pivot in our batch, like, two times, three times right before demo day, which is the end of the program. Like, two weeks before, they just completely changed the company, and that's completely okay. CHAD: So, how does an implementation actually happen? How does it roll out to a new customer? MONIK: I mean, this is also very new, right? I think as you come across new customers, you have to adapt the process. But the essence of it is that you first have some data to start, which is, for example, for us, we work with a bunch of call recordings because a lot of our customers are already recording a lot of their calls. So, that gives you, like, some data as to what the experience is like today. Then the next thing is you get an idea of what you know your customers want the experience to be like. And then, you're basically now figuring out the delta between the two. And then, you're configuring the AI agents, making sure, testing it. And then, you have, like, a period of, like, a week or so where you get through all of that. Then you work through integrations with existing softwares. That also, by the way, is another, like, I would say automotive is a sleeping giant. Like, an auto dealership, on average, like, per month will be spending $50, 000 on software. CHAD: Wow. MONIK: Because the whole business runs on software—everything starting from sales, inventory, parts, service, everything, repair orders—all of it comes through that. CHAD: Now, is there a single common platform that a lot of dealers are using? MONIK: Unfortunately, no. There are some major players; CDK Global is one of them, which actually was hacked recently. And it's in, like, over 15, 000 dealerships, and all of them shut down. CHAD: Wow. MONIK: Like, they just couldn't do any business, and they had to come up with creative workarounds. So, it was pretty painful, kind of, like, a COVID, you know, COVID moment for them. And then, yeah, we've been trying to help our dealers, whoever used that software, to, you know, again, come out with workarounds, where the AI is actually capturing all the information. And, you know, instead of dumping it into that system, it's, you know, finding workarounds on how to get it to our dealers. But yeah, so you integrate with them. That is, like, another major step. And they're, you know, they're not the most tech-forward companies so, you know, that can be a little challenging. CHAD: Right. So, they use a lot of software, but they're not necessarily tech for...they probably don't have big IT departments and that kind of thing. And then, the users are probably non-technical. MONIK: Correct. Yeah. The thing about dealers, I think, is that they're so plugged into the business, like, they know everything that is happening in the business. Everybody knows what the bottom line looks, what really will move the needle, what is a good customer experience. They may not be technical, but I don't think it even matters. That's the thing. But yeah, we were talking about, like, the process, so it takes a couple of weeks So, you do, you know, you get all the information from them as to what needs to be done. You integrate into the systems. And then, the next thing that you do is you start slowly, where, for example, when we start taking phone calls for them, we initially start with off hours and overflow. So, when nobody's able to pick up a phone call, we get the phone calls. And that's how you get, like, some training data at the beginning in a safe manner. And then, as the volume increases, you know, you get more confident, and you roll it out to a larger audience. But I think the key thing here is it has to be a gradual process because, even for the customer, it's something so new, like, to have a full-fledged conversation. Like, you can have a phone tree where it's, like, press one; press two. You're used to that kind of stuff, and that's been around for 15 years, and it still is, you know. And it is not the most natural thing, but it continues to exist. So, this is the next, you know, natural evolution of that interface where it's more free-flowing and, you know, less annoying. CHAD: Do all of your customers...when the AI agent answers, does it say it's an AI agent? MONIK: I mean, our recommendation is to always say that. I mean, it's up to the customer, eventually, if they want to say that or not. And, in fact, it is pretty interesting. Demographics make a huge difference. Like, we're live in, you know, all the states, not all but I would say, like, all the major states. And the way people behave with AI agents is so different, you know, Florida, and Michigan, and California, like, we see the call quality. We see the metrics. We see how annoyed people are or how happy they are and things like that. The way they talk is so different. And one of the parameters in that is actually, you know, letting them know that it is an AI or not as well. So, we tweak that based on, you know, where we are. But for the most part, we always say that because we want to set the expectations, right? Because, initially, when we didn't, the most popular question on the call was like, "Are you a human?" CHAD: [laughs] MONIK: And the fact that people are asking it was also pretty insane, right? CHAD: Right. They could sort of tell that something was different. MONIK: Yeah, if you have, like, a long enough conversation because, obviously, it's not human, right? And then, you go, like, five turns into the conversation, and then you realize, okay, it sounds like a human, like, you know, it's speaking pretty quickly. It's giving me the kind of answers I want. But, like, this thing is strange because, you know, humans have a personality now. Like, with AI, like, a lot of the systems, I mean, you can build personality into it, but it still doesn't have a personality, like, the truth is still that. And it does show up, you know, in interesting ways. And, of course, there can be, you know, some sort of mechanistic issues, you know, like, whatever, right, like, what the customer is really used to and then what you actually say. I think the best practice is to almost always declare, like, it's an AI. And that has improved call quality significantly. MID-ROLL AD: As life moves online, bricks-and-mortar businesses are having to adapt to survive. With over 18 years of experience building reliable web products and services, thoughtbot is the technology partner you can trust. We provide the technical expertise to enable your business to adapt and thrive in a changing environment. We start by understanding what's important to your customers to help you transition to intuitive digital services your customers will trust. We take the time to understand what makes your business great and work fast yet thoroughly to build, test, and validate ideas, helping you discover new customers. Take your business online with design‑driven digital acceleration. Find out more at tbot.io/acceleration or click the link in the show notes for this episode. CHAD: Did you train your own models? MONIK: Yeah, we collected enough data to be able to do that, and we have trained a lot of different components and different models. So, when you think of it, there's not, like, one model that does the whole thing. You have, like, a lot of these small, medium, and large models that do different parts. So, the voice and speech are, let's say, two components. I think the brain of the agent is really the thing that needs the most amount of training because, you know, text to speech and voice, I mean, they have, like, you know, some limits and then, some, you know, business return. Like, after some point, like, there's not really much value to be gained there because if you can transcribe everything, you know, to a certain level of accuracy, all the regions change, you know, accents change. You can always improve. Then it's just expanding scope. But really, with the brain of the agent, you have multiple different models that actually interact with each other, and they're not just LLMs or generative models. You have a lot of different types of things that are going. You know, you're looking up information. You are, you know, validating something. You're making sure if, you know, this is compliant with what, you know, your company's tone is, all of these happening at the same time. And then, these are the different things that you actually really need to train because that's so specific to, you know, the type of business that is happening. CHAD: So, are you also doing your own hosting of the models, or are you using a cloud provider for that? MONIK: Yeah, we use cloud providers. I think having a small team it's insane. I mean, you can host custom models on a lot of these providers now. And then, a lot of them even offer services for you to, like, train and, you know, they take care of the infrastructure as well. I think it's a good thing to rely on it if you're lean and small. There's only so much a few people [chuckles] can do and focus on. CHAD: What are you most focused on right now, either from a business or a product perspective, or, you know, where's your area of biggest risk? MONIK: Of course, there is always, you know, risk of competition. And I guess the real question is, like, where...a lot of popular AI companies get asked this as well, right? Like, what is your moat, right? And then, I mean, I think that is the most obvious risk, right? Where, like, what is stopping anybody else from doing what you're doing, right? And there are certain parts of it, which, you know, you can de-risk. Like, having data and having proprietary data is, like, one of the biggest factors in this, right, of de-risking this. I mean, there's also like, you know, the risk of, let's say, especially in our industry, is, like, taking technology to an industry where, you know, consumers are not pro-technology. You know, they don't want to jump at the best thing that there is, right, especially customer service generally suffers from that, right? Like, people anytime they hear a bot or something and they're like, "Ah, representative agent." So, there's, like, some underlying risk in, you know, human tendencies as to what they want. But, again, to think about it, like, you know, IVRs, which are these interactive voice response systems, they've been around for so long. Nothing about it is natural. It is completely alien to how we interact, but they've been around for so long. So, a lot of times, like, this innovation is actually pushed down from the business to the consumer and not the other way around. It may not be the best experience. It's getting there. So, it's that battle between the two, which I think can delay implementations. You know, some people, like, one of our customers, at one point, we went through the entire deal. And I think the owner of the dealership group just said, "I don't believe in AI." Now, you know, like, it's pretty hard, right? Like, you have the metrics. You have the numbers. You're generating value, but the belief is strongly held. And then, at that point, you know, there's nothing you can do. CHAD: Do you know why they were saying that? Was it like, I don't believe it as in I don't think it can do it, or I don't believe in it as in, like, it's against my ethics, or something like that? MONIK: I feel like it's probably because they've been burned by past experiences of AI. Like, I think chatbots have been around for so long, and a lot of people in the automotive industry have used them. Now, they used to suck. And as I remember in 2016 as well, you know, over the few years that came, like, it was still pretty terrible. So, I think it's some muscle memory from that. And then, also, I think AI has been hyped a lot, and I feel like people just generally discount anything that is hyped. And the opinion is that let's just wait for the dust to settle, and then we'll just pick the winners. So, it's also possible, right? On the adoption curve, like, there's you just hit some people who are probably not on the early or even the mid, right? Maybe on the tail end, which I guess is completely fine and true for any tech adoption cycle. CHAD: And it's true for any product that you're...this is not just an AI company problem. I think it's a startup thing, you know, to find the early adopters and then to move on from there. But you need those early adopters, those champions who are willing to do something new before other people. MONIK: Exactly. And, I mean, yeah, it's just surprising to me how many early adopters, even in...like, there are almost early adopters in every industry. Every business has people who just want to see something, you know, they're just excited about it, like, they're willing to take the risk. And sometimes I'm not even sure why. But, you know, there's just that element of thrill, and then also, you know, beating the market to it and things like that. And once you feel it, you understand the adoption curve initially. Because when you see customers, you see, ah, I see every dealership. Everybody should use us. I mean, as a naive founder, I think that that's what I used to think initially. And then, you know, over time, you get a sense of like, all right, you know, these are the types of customers that you should go after. These are the people who you should talk to first. And you build that kind of muscle as a founder and, yeah, new learnings. CHAD: So, you started with the voice assistant. But are you moving into providing other AI-driven solutions for the automotive industry? MONIK: Right. So, as we work with more dealers, we found out, you know, more areas that can be improved and, you know, gaps in, for example, communication. I think a lot of, like, quality of service really comes from how you can, you know, communicate with your customer. And it's not just about...you could do a good job and, you know, you could just completely destroy your, you know, quality scores because you didn't communicate well enough. And you could do a bad service and still have a great, you know, service, you know, experience by communicating well. So, I think a lot of it is key to communication, and that's our focus: using AI to make it better. Voice is one channel. There are other channels as well. And there are a lot of, you know, communication gaps within, you know, our customers, you know, business set up as well. So, we try to bridge that gap. CHAD: So, since you're focused on communication then, you're probably still leveraging generative AI solutions. MONIK: Oh, a lot of it is, you know, improved by that technology. Like, so I always think, like, great products usually bring in two things, right? One is a necessary evil. Let's say, you know, something that has to be done like a phone system, for example, like, you need people to call in. You need to set up all the numbers, phone trees, whatever, routing. And then, there is AI, which makes that whole process easier. So, I think good products usually have these two things combined, where it lets you do one nasty thing, which, you know, obviously, everybody else can do in a different way. And then, there's this one exceptional thing that you can do. And then, [inaudible 27:04] together, and it makes, like, a great offering for the business. I think that's what we're working towards. CHAD: What do you think about the way things are right now, in general? I do think that there are some companies that are saying, "Well, that great thing is the AI," but they're not necessarily solving a problem that needs to be solved in that way. MONIK: Yeah. I mean, I think to that part, right, the hype is real. Even in my mind, I just discount, like, 40% of the things that people say about AI now. Like, I mean, I would say it's more true than not, like, 60%, sure, but, like, a rough number in my mind is just 40%, and people, like, exaggerate. But, I mean, that's not because, I guess, they're lying. It's because they're, you know, hopeful, right? Because nobody knows, like, in practice. Like, I mean, now that we've done, you know, hundreds and thousands of minutes of AI phone calls, like, that has, like, you know, added to my judgment. And I kind of know, like, you know, what is possible and what is not with even the most cutting-edge stuff there is. I think a lot is possible. But it's unfair to say that, oh yeah, it's as good as a human, for example, right? Like, in certain use cases, that just is not true. It's a different paradigm. It's just a different design interaction that has never existed before. There's nothing human about it. You can try to force it to be as human as you want but then it is forced human. Like, it is still not natural because it just isn't. CHAD: So, I'm getting the sense then that that might not be your north star. That might not be what you're shooting for. MONIK: Yeah, not at all, no. At the end of the day, a tool should drive business outcomes, right? And then, to drive business outcomes, you got to understand what your customer and their users want, for example. You know, I can imagine a world where people will say, you know, when a human picks up the phone, and they're like, "No, I don't want to talk to you. Can you transfer me to a, you know, the virtual agent?" Like, it will happen, right? And it won't be natural. Like, I do not think it will be natural, and it will be different. Because imagine, like, a human having access to all the information at the same time. Like, how would they behave, right? Like, humans behave in a serial manner, and then there is, like, some simplicity to some interactions and some complexity to others. That's not the case with, you know, all the information you have. Like, I already know, for example, if you call me, right, and I'm an AI agent for your business, I know so much about you already, right? Like, I'm not going to act the way, you know, an agent would act who's, like, now pulling up something on the screen, and they're like, "Give me a moment," and then they're reading through your stuff. Like, I already know all the issues you've had, all the conversations you had in the past. So, now I know what's exactly wrong, and, in fact, I'll give you the answer straight up, right? Because I can kind of get ahead and figure out what you really want. CHAD: There's an example in one of the example videos I watched or, actually, I was trying to think, would I ever want to not talk to a person, right? There's an example in one of your videos where you can see the person does exactly what I do on a call. They say their email address is their first name dot last name at gmail.com. And that's not exactly what mine is, but it's like that. And I say that, and most of the people that I talk to on the phone when I say that they...and I think it might be because they're not on a screen that has my first name and my last name on it anymore. Oftentimes, they don't remember my name, or can't see it, or can't understand what I'm saying. But the AI has all the information, and it understood what you were saying, and it just gets it instantly. MONIK: Exactly. Another example of that, right? Let's say, like, you called six times, right? I mean, usually what happens in call centers often is that, like, you get thrown around, different agents pick up, and then maybe the data comes there. I've heard that, like, on existing recordings of, like, humans, where it's like, "I'm calling for the sixth time. Like, do you need me to repeat the same thing again?" And then, they go through the same flow again because that is the policy, for example. And then, they're just so annoyed. Like, with AI, there's no such thing. It's just, you know, one model that's consistent, that's listening to everything. And it's like, even before you say...like, "I see you've called for the sixth time. You know, I'm really sorry that this is happening," and, you know, whatever. Just simple things like that. CHAD: I'm just thinking about those experiences that I've had with customer service that have been that. And, yeah, that's why I think that this is really, you know, has a lot of potential. So, how do you sort of, you know, critics of AI will often point to, like, putting people out of work, right? How do you think about that? MONIK: Yeah. I always, like, to pin it down to, like, evidence, and, I think, at this point, I have enough to talk about this. I think what we've seen with our technology is that a lot of it leads to repurposing of existing talent. So, for example, there are, you know, business development companies that dealerships rely on for inbound and outbound calling. Now, when we free their time up from inbound, like, that's what we focus on right now, and take off all the mundane tasks, like, the agents that they have are now free to do a lot more outbound, which actually drives more sales or, you know, gives a better experience because, you know, people are checking up on them and saying, "Okay, how was your service a week later," right? And the person feels really good. And if there's any problem, they address it, whatever, right? So, I think there is more stuff to do than humans will ever be able to do, and our desires have no end. We will continue to pursue that. So, as you free up something...it's like a race which has no finish line. You get a little bit of lead, but that doesn't mean anything because now you still got to keep going and keep going, and that's what we've seen. So, you know, with service advisors, for example, who would get phone calls in the service department of the dealership all the time, now they don't get calls anymore, right? But they're able to spend more time with people in the store. So, they're actually able to upsell more. So, this kind of efficiencies that you drive, like, they take off the stuff that, you know, you don't want to do all the time and is repeatable to some extent, and then you free them to do things that they couldn't have done before. So, it really is, you know, realizing that there is this endless amount of work that always needs to be done. And here, I took this off your plate, but you still have all this work to do. So, it's just repurposing of, like, talent that's been happening again and again. And, I mean, there is, of course, that's not to say that there is not going to be a loss of job opportunities, things like that, because, you know, it's just part of creative destruction as it is called, right? Where anything new will create some sort of disruption and then, you know, destroy certain things, but then it creates more, you know, on a net basis. That's happening, yeah. I mean, if you think about it, like, I mean, I remember I grew up in India. This was, like, 15 years ago, I don't know, maybe 10 years ago, too. There was somebody who would sit in the elevator, and their only job was to press a button. If you think about it, right? Like, I mean, is that job like, you know, what value is it driving? Of course, like, to some extent, right? And then, they came up with these elevators where you could punch in the numbers, you know, exact floors right at the beginning, and you just walk into the right elevator, and that's done. So, I mean, that job obviously does not exist anymore or does not need to exist anymore, right? But, I mean, I don't know if anybody else in the world has an opinion on that job existing, for example. Like, it's just, over time, when we look back, it just seems, like, obvious that, you know, why were we doing that? We should be doing this other thing. So, I think it's just movement. CHAD: Right. Yeah. I think it is uncomfortable in the moment but, you know, there is a certain trend to the world, aside from AI, aside even from technology, specifically of progress. And, you know, over time, positive comes from that, but that doesn't mean that there's not pain in the meantime. MONIK: There is, yeah. Definitely, there is pain. And I think the real reason why people feel this a lot is sometimes, like, even I make that mistake myself of viewing yourself as, like, stationary in terms of, like, skills and learning. It's like, you are everything you've learned up till now. And, okay, if what I knew up until now is not going to be relevant tomorrow, then what am I going to do? But the thing is that everybody has the capability to learn and improve, and, in fact, even that gets easier and easier with time because technology makes that easier. And then, people are able to do more things than they could do before, learn faster, for example. And it's important to not forget that we have that ability. You know, we can always change and improve, and, in fact, knowing so much makes us even better at knowing more. And that's why we've been able to adapt to every change in history so far; we always have. You know, so that fear is natural. But I think, over time, when we all look back and we're like, oh my God, why were we doing that? You know, like, and we will all be doing different kinds of things. Like, that is guaranteed. That is going to happen. But that fear still exists, and I think that is what causes the pain. It's the anxiety of it. Like, really? Of course, you have to change, you know, tracks. That is very real, but it's not as painful as fear makes it. CHAD: Well, speaking of growing, and changing, and improving, you mentioned that, you know, you and your co-founder are both technical. How have your roles changed as the company has progressed, and what have you learned [chuckles], and have you settled into any sort of roles? MONIK: Yeah. So, I'm the CEO. My co-founder is a CTO. We both used to write code at the beginning. Now only one of us writes code. CHAD: And I'm guessing it's not you [laughs]. MONIK: Yeah, it's not me. Although I do miss it sometimes, but, actually, to be honest, I don't. CHAD: [laughs] MONIK: I feel so happy to have found that, I mean, to have realized that. But yeah, I think, basically, I think now that I understand at least B2B business to some extent, I think you always need to have a clear split of, like, build and sell. And then, of course, there's all this additional stuff that you need to do, but I think these two distinctions need to be absolutely crystal clear because both are full-time jobs. And more than that, you need, like, owners of those spaces, and it's very hard to jump between the two. I mean, if they are solo founders, I mean, it's incredible how they do it if they're able to do both, or they rely on AI, or they rely on, you know, consultants, or contractors, or whatever. But I think those are the two roles. And it came, I mean, I think it was just a natural progression. It's, like, when there's more work than people, I mean, that's usually a good place to be, I think, and that's how you know something is going well. You automatically assume natural roles. Because it's in that moment of, oh no, my list is, like, growing, like, quicker than you know, something, and then I need to jump in, and then you pick up the most natural and important things to you. And then, even if you're not good at, like, you don't have an option. You have to get better at it. For example, selling, like, I never did any sales, ever. Like, I was doing machine learning and distributed systems and whatnot. But I've come to now realize that, okay, that is something that I enjoy that I think I can learn and get better at. And everything I did before, actually, even the engineering mindset helps with sales because it's just a process. So, we kind of assumed our roles when we just had too much on our plate, and we're like, "All right, you'll do this. I'll do this. Okay, fine." And then, we just talk about it, and then, all right, we keep doing it, and then now it just becomes a routine. CHAD: Yeah, how has your team grown? MONIK: Well, we've been two of us now, and we're hiring for a software engineer right now. So, we've been very lean. And I think...and this is also to something that Sam Altman said. I think it was him or I don't know who said that but, you know, you'll probably see the first one-person billion-dollar company. CHAD: Yeah, I think it was, yeah. MONIK: And I think there is some truth to it. Like, I don't know about billion, but, like, maybe a couple of million, a couple of hundred million, like, that might happen sooner. Because we've always tried to stay very, very lean, and I think we've relied on using technology wherever possible. But yeah, that's not to say...we still need people to build. And we are looking for a software engineer because, at some point, there's only so much we can do. CHAD: Yeah. So, what would make someone a good fit for your team in that software engineering position? What are they coming to the table with? MONIK: Everything, I wish. No, I mean, there are some exceptional people. And I think that's exactly what we're looking for is engineers with a founder's mindset because a founder's mindset is always like, you know, give us all the information. We'll make the decisions and figure out like, you know, what needs to be done. And someone who's, of course, exceptionally skilled at technology, at writing code, at building software, but also at understanding like, you know, what to build. I think that is, like, a killer combination and that is what differentiates, like, a great extraordinary engineer from anybody else. CHAD: Well, especially since it's going to be the second developer [chuckles], you're going to have high needs and expectations for that. MONIK: And with startups, right? It's always a little bit of chaos, and it's people who thrive in that chaos. And that's the thing, right? I've worked in, like, a bunch of startups that actually went on to become unicorns. I worked at Turing.com, which I think is...$4 billion, something like that now. But when I joined, there were, like, you know, just 10 people. And every company has problems, you know. And there's always this chaos that ensues, you know, at every stage. But there are some type of people who, like, thrive in that. They just love it. And there are some people who complain about it. I think the ones who complain about it lose that opportunity to grow, and they don't have the mindset to see opportunity in it. And I think those are the people who are absolute amazing, you know, future founders, you know, or even, like, great founding engineers are employees like that because they like that challenge, you know. It's like, this is wrong. Let me go fix it. CHAD: Right. And the reverse is also true. There's a point in a company's life cycle where they need a different kind of person that is more, like, stable [laughs]. MONIK: Well, I don't know. I think I disagree with that. I think, I mean, that's when the company, you know, plateaus. Like, if you bring in more people like that, you...really, like, what is a company? It's just a collection of really smart people. The fact that OpenAI is able to do what Google cannot over the span of six years is because they just do not hire people, you know, of certain caliber, certain mindset. They just keep them out. Again, that's their policy, or even some larger companies. I think the idea is to keep that mindset going and going. It is tiring, right? But it is what drives innovation. Like, that's just the nature of it. CHAD: Well, if what you're describing sounds like someone who's listening, or if someone's in the automotive industry and wants to learn more, where can they do that? MONIK: Yeah, they can reach out to me, you know, my email is monik@toma.com. So, they could get to us. CHAD: And you can subscribe to the show and find notes along with a complete transcript for this episode at giantrobots.fm. If you have questions or comments, email us at hosts@giantrobots.fm. You can find me on Mastodon at cpytel@thoughtbot.social. Monik, thank you so much for joining me and sharing the story with me. MONIK: Thanks, Chad. This was great. CHAD: This podcast is brought to you by thoughtbot and produced and edited by Mandy Moore. Thanks so much for listening and see you next time. AD: Did you know thoughtbot has a referral program? If you introduce us to someone looking for a design or development partner, we will compensate you if they decide to work with us. More info on our website at: tbot.io/referral. Or you can email us at: referrals@thoughtbot.com with any questions.

New data is revealed showing the increasing prevalence of remote work among Americans, with companies embracing flexibility and hybrid work models. Unique equity grants with varying vesting schedules are becoming more common in the tech industry, offering companies a way to attract talent and save money. Additionally, a trial of a four-day workweek at a UK council showed promising results, including reduced staff turnover and improved worker mental health.The episode also delved into recent cybersecurity incidents, such as a breach of AT&T call logs and cyber attacks on CDK Global and threats to the Paris Olympics. Despite these challenges, a survey revealed that managed services providers remain confident in their cybersecurity capabilities, with a focus on combating ransomware and malware. The importance of securing third-party integrations, enhancing cloud security, and preparing for high-profile event security was emphasized in light of these incidents.Furthermore, advancements in AI were discussed, including the use of machine learning to predict disease risk and analyze medical data. Microsoft's Copilot AI and OneNote can now read and analyze handwritten notes, while the AI speech generator Vol-E2 can accurately reproduce human speech. These AI developments have significant implications for early intervention and prevention in healthcare, showcasing the potential of leveraging technology to improve patient outcomes.The episode concluded by highlighting the importance of readiness and incident response planning in the face of cybersecurity threats. It emphasized the need for closer collaboration between the cybersecurity industry and managed services providers to protect small businesses effectively. The episode also encouraged audience engagement through questions and comments, inviting listeners to participate in the discussion on tech trends and developments. Four things to know today00:00 Remote Work Stability, Equity Flexibility, and Four-Day Workweek Benefits04:01 AT&T Call Logs Breach, CDK Global Attack, and Paris Olympics Threats05:36 Survey Highlights MSPs' High Cyber Confidence and Focus on Ransomware and Malware06:44 AI Advances: Disease Prediction, Handwritten Note Analysis, and Speech Generation  Supported by:  https://timezest.com/mspradio/http://skykick.com/mspradio/    All our Sponsors: https://businessof.tech/sponsors/ Do you want the show on your podcast app or the written versions of the stories? Subscribe to the Business of Tech: https://www.businessof.tech/subscribe/Looking for a link from the stories? The entire script of the show, with links to articles, are posted in each story on https://www.businessof.tech/ Support the show on Patreon: https://patreon.com/mspradio/ Want our stuff? Cool Merch? Wear “Why Do We Care?” - Visit https://mspradio.myspreadshop.com Follow us on:LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/company/28908079/YouTube: https://youtube.com/mspradio/Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/mspradionews/Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/mspradio/TikTok: https://www.tiktok.com/@businessoftechBluesky: https://bsky.app/profile/businessoftech.bsky.social

Shoot us a Text.It's Tuesday. That is all. Today, we're talking about a new report that shows the CDK hack resulted in $1B in losses, how GM is pulling back from its EV target and what other retailers are doing to take advantage of Amazon Prime DayShow Notes with linksDealerships across the nation are reeling after a devastating cyberattack on CDK Global resulted in $1.02 billion in losses, as reported by the Anderson Economic Group (AEG).Between June 19 and July 15, dealerships lost 56,200 new-vehicle sales.AEG initially projected a $944 million loss but updated it to $1.02 billion due to new sales data and the actual duration of the outage.AutoNation estimated the CDK situation had stripped $1.50 out of its second-quarter earnings per share.On June 21 more than $25 million of bitcoin was sent to an "address assessed by TRM Labs to be controlled by the ransomware group BlackSuit," according to blockchain intelligence firm TRM Labs.AEG CEO Patrick Anderson highlighted the need for businesses to brace for potential cyberattacks, stating, “This episode is a wake-up call for the auto industry, and a warning to all others.”General Motors CEO Mary Barra has adjusted the company's ambitious EV production target, signaling a shift in expectations amid slowing momentum for electric vehicles.GM will not reach the production capacity for one million EVs by the end of next year, as previously aimed.Barra emphasized that customer demand will dictate the pace of reaching the one million EV annual sales mark.The company faces hurdles, including recent battery production issues and delayed opening of an electric pickup truck plant near Detroit.GM is increasing production of the electric Chevrolet Blazer and Equinox models to boost sales.US EV deliveries were flat in Q2 year-over-year but increased 11% from Q1, per Cox Automotive.Despite the slowdown, Barra remains confident the market will eventually support their EV goals, stating, “We won't get to a million just because the market's not developing, but it will get there.”As Amazon gears up for its 10th Prime Day, rival retailers are not sitting idly by. Major players like Walmart, Target, Kohl's, and newcomers TikTok Shop and Temu have launched their own summer sales to attract deal-hungry shoppers.Retailers are leveraging the excitement around Prime Day to offer their own discounts and promotions, aiming to capture some of Amazon's market share.July sales events help retailers pull in back-to-school shoppers and those looking for summer items, mitigating the traditional summer lull in retail spending.Retailers closely monitor each other's pricing, with some, like Best Buy, adjusting their deals in real-time to stay competitive with Amazon.Perceived deals and the urgency created by limited-time offers can drive significant consumer interest and spending.Hosts: Paul J Daly and Kyle MountsierGet the Daily Push Back email at https://www.asotu.com/ JOIN the conversation on LinkedIn at: https://www.linkedin.com/company/asotu/ Read our most recent email at: https://www.asotu.com/media/push-back-email

Cyberattacks on CDK Global led to a massive shutdown for thousands of auto dealerships in North America. Mark Hollmer, reporter for Crain's sister publication Automotive News, talks with host Amy Guth about the saga and what lies ahead for the Hoffman Estates-based software company.Plus: Aon is slashing its suburban office space with Bannockburn move; United Airlines jet loses wheel in repeat of March incident; a new name, look and mission for Amalgamated Bank of Chicago; and Mayor Brandon Johnson spikes threat to his control over City Council meetings.

In today's episode, we explore a critical remote code execution vulnerability in the Ghostscript library (CVE-2024-29510) exploited in the wild (https://www.bleepingcomputer.com/news/security/rce-bug-in-widely-used-ghostscript-library-now-exploited-in-attacks/), the significant impact of the CDK Global cyberattack on Sonic Automotive's sales and operations (https://www.cybersecuritydive.com/news/sonic-automotive-sales-decline-cdk-attack/720722/), and the rise of the Eldorado ransomware-as-a-service targeting Windows and Linux systems (https://thehackernews.com/2024/07/new-ransomware-as-service-eldorado.html). Tune in to get the latest insights and expert opinions on these pressing cybersecurity issues. Video Episode: https://youtu.be/dGMbjah4Gho Sign up for digestible cyber news delivered to your inbox: news.thedailydecrypt.com 00:00 - Intro 01:00 - Eldorado RaaS Encrypts Windows, Linux Files 03:50 - CDK Cyberattack Cripples Sonic Automotive Sales 05:42 - Ghostscript RCE Bug Exploited in Active Attacks Thanks to Jered Jones for providing the music for this episode. https://www.jeredjones.com/ Logo Design by https://www.zackgraber.com/ Episode Tags Ghostscript, CVE-2024-29510, vulnerability, EPS, remote code execution, Linux systems, high-risk attacks, document conversion, protection, Sonic Automotive, CDK Global, cyberattack, financial performance, Ransomware-as-a-Service, Eldorado, encryption, cross-platform technologies Search Phrases How to protect against Ghostscript CVE-2024-29510 vulnerability Sonic Automotive cyberattack news Impact of CDK Global cyberattack on Sonic Automotive Eldorado ransomware encryption techniques Ghostscript EPS files exploit Ransomware-as-a-Service latest threats Financial impact of cyberattacks on automotive industry Advanced cross-platform ransomware Ghostscript remote code execution vulnerability 2024 Eldorado ransomware victims 2024 Jul9 There is a new ransomware as a service named Eldorado that is now encrypting files on both windows and Linux systems using advanced cross-platform technologies. And it's already targeted 16 victims across multiple industries since its debut in March of 2024. How does Eldorados ransomware encryption method differ from the other well-known strains, like lock bit or baboon? The effects of the CDK global ransomware attack. A few weeks ago, still remain as Sonic automotive vehicle sales have plummeted. How are CDK customers recovering and what are the longterm impacts? It might have on their financial performance. And finally. Thursday, remote code execution, vulnerability in ghost script that comes pre-installed on many Linux systems. That's now being exploited. Through EPS files disguised as JPEGs. How can you protect? The document conversion services against this go scrip, vulnerability. You're listening to the daily decrypt. It's both a sad and exciting day when we get to announce a new ransomware as a service operation. This time it's named Eldorado. And it targets both windows and Linux systems with specialized locker variants. It's specific strain of malware surfaced on March 16th, 2024. As of late June Eldorado has claimed 16 victims with 13 in the U S two in Italy and one in Croatia. And specifically it's targeting industries, including real estate education, professional services, healthcare and manufacturing. So it seems like they don't really have a type they're just looking to get their foot in the door. Eldorado. Is similar to all of the major names in ransomware as a service as it is a double extortion ransomware service which is a devilish tactic that builds on the traditional form of ransomware where threat actors. Would gain access to a network. Encrypt all the files. And then sell you the decryption key for an exorbitant amount of money. So that you can decrypt the files and carry on with your business. Well, it's now evolved to that. Plus they exfiltrate all your data and threatened to sell it on the dark web. If you don't pay. Which is much more effective because standard practices to back up your data. So you can get back up online. And if you do that correctly, Encrypting your data. It doesn't do anything because you'll be able to back it up. Oftentimes it's not done correctly. And your backups are also encrypted. But in the case, We're backups are appropriately implemented. These ransomware artists use double extortion. And this service has all the indicators that is very organized. As the affiliate program was advertised on the ransomware forum ramp, which. Indicates a level of professionalism and organization. You'd see in the top ransomware as a service groups. A security research firm was able to infiltrate this ransomware group and identified the representative as a Russian speaker. And noted that Eldorado does not share any sort of code with the previously. Leaked ransomware like locked bit or Bebout. And like mentioned before. This Target's primarily windows and Linux environments. And the encrypter comes in four different formats. ESX PSI. Yes. 6 64 when and when 64. Which enhances the flexibility and increases its threat potential across different system architectures. Eldorado uses Golang for its cross-platform capabilities. Cha-cha 20 for filing encryption and RSA. Oh, AEP for key encryption, it can also encrypt files. On shared networks using SMB. The windows variant employs a PowerShell command to overwrite the locker file with random bites before deleting it. Uh, aiming to erase the trace. Of the threat actor. And for more key indicators of compromise. Check out the article by the hacker news in our show notes. And I'm hopeful that we won't hear much more about this ransomware as a service. But given its capabilities, we probably will. This next story hits a little close to home, which is why I chose to include it in this episode as my car. Stopped working last night. And I got to spend an hour and a half on the phone with the technicians. Just trying to find me an appointment because all of the scheduling was still down due to the ransomware attack. Needless to say. I couldn't get an appointment at the dealership for. Over a month and a half. Which is in line with what the news is reporting. As an effect of the CDK global ransomware attack that happened three or four weeks ago. So Sonic automotive, which is a fortune 500 company has reported a significant drop in car sales. Since June 19th. Which is due to the fact that all their systems were down. So they weren't able to process these car sales at the same speed people. People still want to buy cars. They just can't. You know, it's kind of like fast food. Is a process that changed the market completely. As far as restaurants go. Because they're just able to serve more and more customers. Faster, thus making more money. But it's like if the stove got ransomwared and we had to take the stove down, right. There are alternate methods. Like maybe they go get some hot plates from target or whatever, but it just slows down the process. Which is exactly what ransomware can do. In fact, over 15,000 car dealerships across north America, rely on CDKs cloud-based services. And in the past couple of weeks, CDK was actually able to fully recover, bringing their core services back online. But the trickle down effect is that. These individual dealers still have to keep their services offline. Or we're unable to fully restore their services. So, yeah, this is just one example of how long it takes to recover. From a ransomware attack. And how helpless you can be if the ransomware attack happened earlier on in the supply chain, like it did here. And finally the hottest new vulnerability being exploited in the wild. Is there a remote code execution vulnerability found in the ghost script document conversion toolkit. That is widely used on Linux systems. And often integrated with software, like. Image magic Libra office. Inkscape scribe us. And all kinds of other softwares. This vulnerability affects all installations of ghost script 10. Point zero 3.0 and earlier it allows attackers to escape the dash D safer sandbox, enabling dangerous operations, such as command execution. And file IO. Attackers are exploiting this vulnerability in the wild. Using EPS files disguised as JPEG images to gain shell access to these vulnerable systems. If you work in it. And either no, or unsure. If your systems are vulnerable. Cody and labs has developed and released a postscript file. That can be used to detect these vulnerable systems. So make sure to check out the link by bleeping computer in the show notes below. So you can keep your system safe. This has been the Daily Decrypt. If you found your key to unlocking the digital domain, show your support with a rating on Spotify or Apple Podcasts. It truly helps us stand at the frontier of cyber news. Don't forget to connect on Instagram or catch our episodes on YouTube. Until next time, keep your data safe and your curiosity alive.

In this video, we explore the top 5 dealer management systems (DMS) used by dealerships globally. From Reynolds and Reynolds' comprehensive functionality to CDK Global's seamless integration capabilities, we highlight the best advantages and biggest disadvantages of each system. Discover which DMS offers user-friendly interfaces, affordability, cloud-based accessibility, and more. Whether you're a small dealership or a large one, find out which system best fits your needs. Don't miss this essential guide to optimizing your dealership operations!  Link to the featured video:https://youtu.be/OKKRmvL2rws?si=0ONTqVyPuj2jX4Q9Grab a copy of my book:https://partsmanagerpro.gumroad.com/l/qtqax"The Parts Manager Guide" - https://www.amazon.com/Parts-Manager-Guide-Strategies-Maximize-ebook/dp/B09S23HQ1P/ref=sr_1_4?crid=3UZYOGZJUNJ9K&keywords=parts+manager+guide&qid=1644443157&sprefix=parts+manager+guid%2Caps%2C244&sr=8-4Please remember to like, share and leave your comments.Videos are uploaded weekly.Fair use is a use permitted by copyright statute that might otherwise be infringing. Non-profit, educational or personal use tips the balance in favor of fair use. No copyright infringement intended. ALL RIGHTS BELONG TO THEIR RESPECTIVE OWNERS*This video is for educational and entertainment purposes only.Become a supporter of this podcast: https://www.spreaker.com/podcast/the-auto-review-podcast-w-host-chris-clarke--4960744/support.

If you are keeping up on current events it may be hard to see things that are not focused on the political atmosphere right now, but there are always things happening that might directly impact you.  Today we bring the national cyber hack to CDK Global to the forefront and do a little dive into […] The post ZERT Coffee & Chaos 70 – CDK Global Cyber Attack: Importance Of Digital Security appeared first on Firearms Radio Network.

Send us a Text Message.Welcome to The TechTual Talk, your go-to podcast for in-depth discussions on the latest cybersecurity news, tech trends, and business insights. In our latest episode, hosts Henri and Destini are joined by the ever-insightful guest, Kenneth, to unpack a series of riveting topics.Dive deep into the unsettling cyber attack on CDK Global by the notorious hacking group, Black Suit, which has breached numerous organizations worldwide. Discover why 17% of car dealerships have fallen victim to cybercrime last year and what this means for the future of automotive cybersecurity.We'll also dissect the recent federal ban on Kaspersky's software due to national security risks, exploring the intricate web of espionage accusations between the US, Russia, and even Israel. Learn about alternative security solutions that can keep your digital life safe from prying eyes.Are you curious about the dynamics of remote work, its impact on employee productivity, and the evolving work culture? We've got you covered. We'll discuss the pros and cons of working remotely, the reality of work-life balance, and share practical strategies to stay productive at home. Henri, Destini, and Kenneth offer real-world advice on how to manage burnout and maintain mental health, featuring light-hearted banter that makes complex topics engaging and accessible.Plus, get a glimpse into the exciting world of TV shows as our hosts share their thoughts on recent hits like "Your Honor" and debate the merits of Netflix vs. Paramount Plus. All this and more, as we explore the fascinating intersections of technology, cybersecurity, and modern work lifestyles.Subscribe to *Techtual Chatter* now for your weekly dose of tech insights, industry anecdotes, and expert advice. Tune in, stay secure, and keep chatting!Support the Show.If you enjoyed the show don't forget to leave us a 5 star review, to help with the algorithm :) Email: henridavis@thetechtualtalk.com➡️ Need coaching help then go here (ask about our financing)⬇️https://techualconsulting.com/offerings➡️ Want to land your first IT Job? Then check out the IT course from Course careers use my link and code Techtual50 to get $50 off your course ⬇️https://account.coursecareers.com/ref/50932/➡️ Need help getting into Cybersecurity for a low price then check out Josh Madakor's Cybersecurity course at Leveld Careers and use my code TechTual10 to get 10%off your course. ⬇️https://www.leveldcareers.com/a/2147530874/RuqjrBGjIf you want a high paying role in the cloud then click here⬇️https://Levelupintech.com/techStop data brokers from exposing your information with Aura!Click the link below to try out Aura's FREE 14 day trial and see if your personal information has been compromised

Add AG1 to your morning routine and see what it can do for you: http://drinkAG1.com/WANshow Improve your website's SEO performance FOR FREE with Ahref's Webmaster Tools. Check it out at http://ahrefs.com/awt UPDF: an AI PDF Editor with OCR - check it out at https://bit.ly/3Ru1KSI Check out the Secretlab Titan Evo Ergonomic Gaming chair and more at https://lmg.gg/secretlabwan Get a special deal on Private Internet Access VPN today at https://www.piavpn.com/LinusWan Timestamps (courtesy of NoKi1119): 0:00 Chapters 1:54 Intro 2:30 Topic #1 - Taiwanese shop goes viral over the PC 5:25 Kid's interview, Linus on Western culture, 2:30 AM messages 8:10 Taiwanese shop's post, messages with the builder 10:44 Linus on the PC build's costs, Luke on the warranty 12:26 More messages, Linus on the tubes bend precision 14:12 Experiences in Taiwan, tip story, Luke on Taiwan's safety 18:39 Luke on the stores, Linus & Luke on the recent LTT videos 21:08 LTTStore's new GPU crash tower game 23:13 Quality of the engraving ft. Linus & Luke start playing 24:53 Linus on suppliers that denied this, costs & design 29:55 Topic #2 - Donut Media's Jeremiah & Zach depart, creates Big Time 33:16 LMG's past buy offer, Luke on fans & RV's acquisition 36:22 Linus on the EV video & the change, NCIX NDA story 38:10 Luke on the unhelpful comments, is excited for Big Time 39:48 Linus wants to sponsor Big Time, Luke on the first video 41:14 Linus is glad he didn't sell LMG, acquired channels 46:10 Luke on drawing the line, humble PC & revenue, SourceFed 50:37 Merch Messages #1 51:12 Luxe backpack or original batch update? 52:01 Have you always been a "material snob"? 54:06 Thoughts on open source self-driving & assistance devices? 55:24 Topic #3 - Live service games fakes FB friends & manipulates luck 58:56 Steps to avoid this ft. Mobile games revenue, Luke gets everyone 1:05:10 Sponsor - AG1 1:06:10 Sponsor - Ahrefs ft. Poor Dan 1:07:28 Sponsor - UPDF ft. AI watermark removal, photography 1:13:26 Topic #4 - South Korea's KT sends malware over torrents 1:16:32 Topic #5 - Mod team makes a server for The Crew 1:17:47 How would companies respond to communities building servers? 1:20:03 Comparisons, LTT's Mac repair video, Linus on raw footage 1:22:33 Merch Messages #2 1:22:42 Tech activities 5th graders would like? 1:27:24 Is ignorance bliss when it comes to tech? 1:30:30 Any update from YouTube to protect channels like LTT? 1:31:56 Topic #6 - Apple's RCS support after EU's regulations 1:34:27 Luke is suspicious and pissed at Apple's statement 1:37:29 Topic #7 - LTT Lab's scan of a CPU 1:40:02 Topic #8 - Internet Archive loses in court over digital lending 1:41:24 Topic #9 - Paramount drops most content on Comedy Central 1:44:23 Linus on Phil DeFranco's privated videos, Luke shows PcCables 1:48:12 Topic #10 - Funk FPV's video of LTT's MCM 1:51:18 Garage sale at the LTT Labs building on the 6th of July 1:51:44 Merch Messages #3 ft. WAN Show After Dark 1:52:21 If Luke kept any bird as a pet, what bird would it be? 1:54:56 What's keeping you from moving LTT to Taiwan? ft. Dan city 2:01:48 Does Linus go easy on his kids while gaming? 2:05:04 Can Minisforum V3's keyboard be used on other devices? 2:06:02 Fallout vault experiment ft. Cult leader Dan, merch, cherry-L's 2:10:49 Would Linus wear the Apple Watch? ft. AOSP Pixel, the medical-word game 2:16:23 Anything you'd recommend doing with the floors & walls? 2:18:51 Thought of putting ABC's of gaming to a library? 2:19:52 Would Linus recommend Bigscreen Beyond VR? 2:21:14 Have you heard of the CDK Global hack? ft. Linus's sister 2:22:36 Airline CRTs aren't easily replaceable, similar tech examples? 2:26:56 Is the Copilot & Snapdragon collab hinting at an XBOX handheld? 2:27:37 Outro Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

Shoot us a Text.The second half of 2024 is rolling and we're talking about CDK's race to fully restore services in teh next 48 hours. We're also covering the drop in average EV prices below Tesla's for the first time in over a year as well as how our friends at Mohawk Chevrolet's "The Office"-inspired TikToks are taking the internet by storm.CDK Global expects its DMS to be fully restored by July 4 following cyberattacks that disrupted operations starting on July 19th for thousands of dealerships across North America.CDK has been restoring services in phases, with many dealers already back online as of July 1.Beyer Auto Group's CDK system came back online unexpectedly on July 1, which helped ease some anxiety among the staff about the indefinite outage.Despite the restoration of the core system, their customer relationship management system and third-party integrations are still not functional, causing ongoing operational challenges.Employees are now focused on the monumental task of recording all deals and service orders manually entered during the outage into the system, as explained by COO John Altman."There is some exasperation. I can see on their faces that they are just looking at this monumental task. But at least they know where they are at this point." - Said AltmanThe disruption is expected to cause a 10% drop in Q2 earnings per share for major U.S. dealership groups, potentially costing nearly $1 billion.Automakers have cut electric vehicle prices to a level below Tesla's average for the first time since early last year, driven by increased competition and market dynamics.The average transaction price of an EV, including Tesla, was $55,235 in April, $433 less than Tesla's average price.The trend continued in May, with the industry average EV price being $56,648, $721 less than Tesla's.Tesla's pricing cuts have influenced the market, pushing competitors to reduce prices or offer discounts, leading to an average discount of 12.4% on EVs in May.Despite price cuts, new Tesla registrations fell 17% in April, while EV registrations excluding Tesla grew 69%.Used EV sales have surged, growing 84% in May, as declining prices and federal tax credits make them more affordable for consumers.Mohawk Chevrolet in upstate New York has gained viral fame with a mockumentary-style TikTok series inspired by "The Office," featuring real-life dealership antics.The series, starring digital branding creators Grace Kerber and Ben Bushen, began with a video about hiding tiny ducks around the office, which went viral with nearly 2 million views for the fifth episode.The videos are created quickly, with Kerber and Bushen writing, shooting, and editing each episode in a day, leading to significant engagement and a rethink of the dealership's social strategy to focus more on TikTok."There are probably some big and funny personalities that you work with so just wing it and see what happens." - GrHosts: Paul J Daly and Kyle MountsierGet the Daily Push Back email at https://www.asotu.com/ JOIN the conversation on LinkedIn at: https://www.linkedin.com/company/asotu/ Read our most recent email at: https://www.asotu.com/media/push-back-email

https://youtu.be/p_zv9TEIZO0 This week on the podcast, we cover OpenSSH's recent critical vulnerability and what it means for systems administrators. Before that, we discuss the CDK Global ransomware attack impacting car dealerships across the us, a Korean internet service provider delivering malware to their customers, and a takeover of a popular JavaScript library gone hostile.

In Other News with Ethan: Quincy Wilson going to Paris, Jayson Tatum is really rich now, CDK Global to get auto dealerships back up and running, and Costco Selling Apartments

In the 2nd Hour of the Marc Cox Morning Show on 97.1 FM Talk: Dems think the Supreme Courts ruling will have a president killing his political opponents It's the 33 year anniversary of the Guns 'N' Roses riot at Riverport John Pudner, President of Take Back Action Fund, joins Ryan and Kim to discuss the Supreme Court immunity decision and what it means for Trump In Other News with Ethan: Quincy Wilson going to Paris, Jayson Tatum is really rich now, CDK Global to get auto dealerships back up and running, and Costco Selling Apartments Coming Up Next Hour: Ryan Schmelz, Sgt. Betsy Brantner Smith, and Kim on a Whim,too!

Jill and Tom are in-studio this week for a far-reaching number of topics. Tom quickly updated everyone on the CDk Global/dealership-hacking crisis, which will reportedly be resolved later this week. The hosts briefly discussed Tesla's second quarter of disappointing sales, this while overall EV sales are projected to rise. Still in the first segment, Jill and Tom chatted about the Rivian/Volkswagen deal, which sees Rivian infused with a quick $1 billion—with the promise of additional funding at later dates—and VW gaining access to Rivian's EV software architecture. In the second segment, Jill and Tom are joined by Sam Fiorani of AutoForecast Solutions. Sam updated the hosts on several of the most-prominent—and most threatening to Western automakers—Chinese carmakers. Sam's tutorial included makers BYD, Chery, Geely, and Great Wall. Sam warns that Western carmakers dismiss these up-and-coming global players at their own risk. In the last segment, Jill is subject to a spelling quiz, tasked with spelling model names including Avanti, Reatta, and Ciera. 

July 1, 2024: David Ting, CTO and Founder of Tausight, joins Bill for the news. They delve into the ramifications of recent data breaches, particularly focusing on the CDK Global breach affecting car dealerships and its parallels to healthcare vulnerabilities. How prepared is healthcare for extended IT outages in critical sectors? David explores the Champion/Challenger model as a proactive strategy, questioning the cost and benefit of maintaining redundant systems. They further discuss the implications of Apple's new operating system on data privacy, prompting reflection on whether people are trading convenience for security. As they touch on the future of AI and the erosion of personal privacy, the conversation raises critical considerations: Are we truly ready for the pervasive surveillance and potential misuse of our data? Key Points:00:43 Discussing a Recent Breach03:49 Champion Challenger Model for IT Resilience05:39 Challenges of Cloud and Business Continuity11:05 Apple's AI and Privacy Innovations12:46 Privacy Concerns in the Modern World20:11 Conclusion and Closing RemarksNews articles:Cyberattack led to harrowing lapses at Ascension hospitals, clinicians sayApple WWDC 2024 recap: Every new feature in iOS 18, Siri, AI, and moreThis Week Health SubscribeThis Week Health TwitterThis Week Health LinkedinAlex's Lemonade Stand: Foundation for Childhood Cancer Donate

Shoot us a Text.We're ripping into the last weekend in Q2 as we talk about more CDK stores coming back online. We also cover Tesla's slipping quality ranking from JD Power, as well as the consistent overall drop in consumer experience. Show Notes with links:CDK Global is gradually restoring dealerships and a public retailer after the recent cyberattacks, with Group 1 now back online.CDK Global brought a second small set of dealer customers back online on June 27, including one large public dealership group.The company is continuing a phased restoration approach, focusing first on the core Dealer Management System (DMS).Group 1, confirmed by Automotive News, is the large public dealer now live on the core DMS.CDK is working to bring other applications, such as CRM, One Eighty, and CDK Service, back online and expects customer care channels to be active by June 28.Meanwhile, major publications like the WSJ are warning consumers to bring a pen and patience if they are going car shopping this weekend adding to the mounting losses for DealershipsTesla's edge in EV quality is fading as repair issues persist, according to J.D. Power's latest study as the 2024 U.S. Initial Quality Study reports Tesla's now match legacy automakers in quality, with 266 problems per 100 vehicles.Last year, Tesla outperformed traditional EVs with 257 problems per 100 vehicles compared to 265 for legacy automakers. However, customer dissatisfaction is growing due to Tesla removing traditional feature controls like turn signals and wiper stalks.This year, Tesla is level with other automakers at 266 per 100 vehiclesThe broader industry shows EVs, including BEVs and PHEVs, have more issues than gas-powered vehicles, averaging 266 vs. 180 problems per 100 vehicles.J.D. Power's Frank Hanley notes EV owners visit dealerships three times more often than gas vehicle owners due to severe problems and said, "It is not surprising that the introduction of new technology has challenged manufacturers to maintain vehicle quality." Customer experience in the U.S. has declined for the third consecutive year, with an average rating hitting a new low due to inflation and ineffective customer-service chatbots, according to Forrester's latest reportForrester's study shows an average customer experience score of 69.3 out of 100, the lowest since 2016.Scores have fallen from a peak of 72.0 in 2021.Consumers are frustrated by higher costs without perceived benefits and ineffective AI chatbots.Chewy, Tesla, Navy Federal Credit Union, and USAA ranked highest, while the IRS and USAJOBS.gov scored lowest.Hosts: Paul J Daly and Kyle MountsierGet the Daily Push Back email at https://www.asotu.com/ JOIN the conversation on LinkedIn at: https://www.linkedin.com/company/asotu/ Read our most recent email at: https://www.asotu.com/media/push-back-email

Shoot us a Text.Thursday seems ready to run as we talk about CDK coming back on-line yesterday for a test group of dealers. We also talk about Waymo's green light in San Francisco as well as a major Netflix experience coming to a mall near you. Eight days after two cyberattacks severely disrupted its dealership management system, CDK Global has made progress by successfully testing a system reboot with a small group of dealers.In an afternoon statement to Automotive News, the company said "We have successfully brought a small initial test group of dealers live on the Dealer Management System (DMS), and once validation is complete, we will begin phasing in other dealers."CDK plans to phase in other dealers once validation is complete as efforts are also underway to restore additional applications, including CRM and service solutions."We understand and share the urgency for our customers to get back to business as usual," CDK said in a statement.One dealer even posted an image of his screen with a comment that he's ‘never been so happy to see this screen'Despite numerous challenges, Waymo's robotaxi service is now thriving in San Francisco, bringing driverless taxi rides closer to becoming commonplace as Waymo One, using self-driving Jaguars, is now available to everyone in San Francisco.San Francisco is the second city to fully adopt Waymo, following Phoenix, Arizona.Limited service is currently available in Los Angeles, with plans to expand to Austin, Texas, later this year.The service has faced several hurdles, including safety probes, software recalls, and even vandalism.Despite these issues, Waymo has had significant demand, with 300,000 people on its San Francisco waitlist.As of April, Waymo's cars have driven over 3.8 million miles in San Francisco.Waymo aims to become profitable, competing with Uber and Lyft, and recovering development costs.For now, Waymo stands as the future of the US robotaxi industry, especially after its closest competitor, Cruise, had its California licenses suspended.Netflix has announced plans to open its first two permanent experiential entertainment venues in Dallas, TX, and King of Prussia, PA, in 2025.These Netflix Houses will include shopping outlets, eateries, and immersive activities based on popular Netflix series and films anbd will feature experiences from shows like Bridgerton, Money Heist, Stranger Things, and Squid Game.Netflix CMO Marian Lee described the venues as places to enjoy immersive experiences, unique food and drinks, and retail therapy as each location will occupy over 100,000 square feet in former department stores at Galleria Dallas and King of Prussia Mall.“Imagine waltzing with your partner to an orchestral cover of a Taylor Swift song on a replica of the Bridgerton set –– and then walking around the corner Hosts: Paul J Daly and Kyle MountsierGet the Daily Push Back email at https://www.asotu.com/ JOIN the conversation on LinkedIn at: https://www.linkedin.com/company/asotu/ Read our most recent email at: https://www.asotu.com/media/push-back-email

On this week's show, Patrick Gray and Adam Boileau discuss the week's security news, including: Julian Assange finally cuts a deal, pleads guilty, and goes free USA to ban Kaspersky - even updates Car dealer SaaS provider CDK contemplates paying a ransom Intolerable healthcare ransomware attacks continue We revisit Windows proximity bugs via wifi and bluetooth And much, much more. This week's episode is sponsored by enterprise browser maker Island. Crowdstrike co-founder Dmitri Alperovitch is an investor in Island, and joins on its behalf to discuss why an enterprise browser is really starting to make sense. Show notes Julian Assange released from prison and has left UK, WikiLeaks says US to ban Kaspersky Lab software nationwide later this year Cyberattack on CDK Global stymies work at car dealerships across US Almost 200 cancer operations postponed as ransomware group publishes London hospitals data UK government weighs action against Russian hackers over NHS records theft South Africa's national health lab hit with ransomware attack amid mpox outbreak Ransomware victims are becoming less likely to pay up | Cybersecurity Dive Lawmakers in Philippines push for probe into Pentagon's anti-vax propaganda operation | Reuters Telegram says it has 'about 30 engineers'; security experts say that's a red flag | TechCrunch Two bluetooth vulnerabilities in Windows Thread on reversing the patch Basic concept for the latest windows wifi driver CVE

On this episode of The Cybersecurity Defenders Podcast, we speak MIke Pedrick and Adriano Carvalho about the ongoing CDK Global cybersecurity incident.Mike Pedrick is an experienced cybersecurity practitioner with too many certs to list off. He makes his way through the world as a vCISO and happens to have a deep interest in the automobile sector.Adriano Carvalho is consulting partner with the Reynolds and Reynolds company, who has spent over 10 years immersed in the automotive industry.The incident: CDK Global experienced a significant cyberattack starting on June 18, 2024, which led to the shutdown of its systems affecting approximately 15,000 automotive dealerships across the United States. The company, which provides crucial software solutions for dealership management, had to proactively shut down most of its IT systems to prevent the spread of the attack. This resulted in a major disruption of dealership operations, forcing employees to revert to manual processes such as writing work orders by hand.CDK Global has been working with third-party experts to investigate the incident and has started to restore some of its services, including the core dealer management system. However, the full resolution of the issue is expected to take several days, and the company is continuously updating its customers on the progress. The company has emphasized that its priority is the security of its customers and is taking extensive measures to ensure systems are safe before bringing them back online.The impact of the cyberattack has left many dealerships unable to conduct regular business activities, significantly affecting their operations. CDK Global has not yet disclosed who was behind the attack or if any sensitive data was compromised, but further updates are expected as the investigation continues​.Mike can be found on LinkedIn here.Adriano can be found on LinkedIn here.

Dealerships are using old-fashioned methods after a ransomware attack on CDK Global.;Police arrested 21-year-old Davonta Mathis Saturday in connection with two separate fatal shootings last wee; U.S. Rep. Colin Allred marked the two-year anniversary of the U.S. Supreme Court overturning Roe vs. Wade with a Monday news conference at a women's health center that downsized after Texas banned abortions; U.S. Reps. Ronny Jackson of Amarillo and Wesley Hunt of Houston are facing scrutiny over whether spending campaign money at private clubs is appropriate. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices

Jill and Tom are both in studio today. The hosts began the program discussing the week's big news, a malicious attack on the network of CDK Global, a dealership-services company which provides critical software support for roughly half of the nation's 30,000 new-car dealers. Down since last week, CDK has not, as of this recording, made public an estimated restoration time/date for the network. Jill shared her impressions of the new-for-2025 Toyota Camry. The nation's best-selling sedan features a number of surprises, including an all-hybrid powertrain lineup. Still in the first segment, Jill and Tom discussed a potential consumer worry point: COVID Cars. Cars which were built during the auto-industry COVID slowdown were often assembled minus key features, this to maintain production during the epidemic-related microchip shortage. Some of those cars are now returning to market, and may be missing certain equipment--which may affect value and desirability. How can consumers protect themselves? Listen in. In the second segment Jill and Tom are joined by freelance auto journalist and industry expert Ed Piotrowski. Ed spent some time behind wheel recently of some very-expensive, but surprisingly capable, luxury crossovers and SUVs. Listen in to get Ed's take on the vehicles, and the expanding movement to offer off-road-ready variants of popular midsize crossovers. Ed joined Jill for this week's “More Fake Trim Levels” quiz. Both contestants did well, but only one won. 

Episode 350: Neal and Toby chat about how Ozempic users are seeking out high-protein, low calorie yogurts as a healthy snack. Then, Meta talks to Apple about possibly integrating its AI with Apple products. Could this be the start of a new friendship? Next, the hackers who've crippled car dealerships are demanding millions of dollars and CDK Global is preparing to pay it. Also, further delays for the Boeing Starliner astronauts still stuck in the International Space Station. Meanwhile, the US and other countries are planning to bring their own AC units to the Paris Olympics. Plus, Sha'Carri Richardson and the Iberian Lynx are making strong comebacks. Lastly, the biggest news you need to know this week. Download the Yahoo Finance App (on the Play and App store) for real-time alerts on news and insights tailored to your portfolio and stock watchlists. Get your Morning Brew Daily Mug HERE: https://shop.morningbrew.com/products/morning-brew-daily-mug?utm_medium=youtube&utm_source=mbd&utm_campaign=mug Listen to Morning Brew Daily Here: https://link.chtbl.com/MBD Watch Morning Brew Daily Here: https://www.youtube.com/@MorningBrewDailyShow Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

LockBit claims to have hit the Federal Reserve. CDK Global negotiates with BlackSuit to unlock car dealerships across the U.S. Treasury proposes a rule to restrict tech investments in China. An LA school district confirms a Snowflake related data breach. Rafel RAT hits outdated Android devices. The UK's largest plutonium stockpiler pleads guilty to criminal charges of inadequate cybersecurity. Clearview AI settles privacy violations in a deal that could exceed fifty million dollars. North Korean hackers target aerospace and defense firms. Rick Howard previews CSOP Live. Our guest is Christie Terrill, CISO at Bishop Fox, discussing how organizations can best leverage offensive security tactics. Bug hunting gets a little too real. Our 2024 N2K CyberWire Audience Survey is underway, make your voice heard and get in the running for a $100 Amazon gift card. Remember to leave us a 5-star rating and review in your favorite podcast app. Miss an episode? Sign-up for our daily intelligence roundup, Daily Briefing, and you'll never miss a beat. And be sure to follow CyberWire Daily on LinkedIn. CyberWire Guest Guest Christie Terrill, CISO at Bishop Fox, joins to discuss how organizations can leverage offensive security tactics not just as strategies to prevent cyber incidents, but as a critical component of a cyberattack recovery process.  Rick Howard sits down with Dave to share a preview of what's to come at our upcoming CSOP Live event this Thursday, going beyond the headlines with our panel of Hash Table experts for an insightful discussion on emerging industry trends, recent threats and events, and the evolving role of executives in our field.   Selected Reading LockBit claims the hack of the US Federal Reserve (securityaffairs) Why are threat actors faking data breaches? (Help Net Security) CDK Global outage caused by BlackSuit ransomware attack (bleepingcomputer) US proposes rules to stop Americans from investing in Chinese technology with military uses (AP News) Los Angeles Unified confirms student data stolen in Snowflake account hack (bleepingcomputer) Ratel RAT targets outdated Android phones in ransomware attacks (bleepingcomputer) Sellafield Pleads Guilty to Historic Cybersecurity Offenses (Infosecurity Magazine) Sellafield nuclear waste site pleads guilty to IT security breaches (Financial Times) Facial Recognition Startup Clearview AI Settles Privacy Suit (SecurityWeek) New North Korean Hackers Attack Aerospace and Defense Companies (cybersecuritynews) Spatial Computing Hack (Ryan Pickren) Share your feedback. We want to ensure that you are getting the most out of the podcast. Please take a few minutes to share your thoughts with us by completing our brief listener survey as we continually work to improve the show.  Want to hear your company in the show? You too can reach the most influential leaders and operators in the industry. Here's our media kit. Contact us at cyberwire@n2k.com to request more info. The CyberWire is a production of N2K Networks, your source for strategic workforce intelligence. © N2K Networks, Inc. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

Shoot us a Text.There's light at the end of the tunnel this Monday as CDK starts the restoration process of its DMS. Today, we discuss the identity of their hacker, give an update on the Hyundai-Amazon partnership and look at a Chick-Fil-A summer camp that has the internet in an uproar. Show Notes with links:As of this weekend it was reported that CDK Global has initiated the restoration process following crippling cyberattacks referred to as a ransom event. This process, expected to take several days, has left dealerships across the U.S. and Canada struggling to operate normally. Meanwhile, we have a potential glimpse into who did it. The restoration process for major applications for the over 15k dealerships affected  is expected to take several days, meanwhile dealerships have been busy re-innovating using manual processes to continue operations.Meanwhile, a report by bleepingcomputer.com over the weekend claims to know the hacking group responsible citing the same inside anonymous sources that have been providing accurate information throughout the entire situationBlackSuit launched in May 2023, believed to be a rebrand of Royal ransomware.Royal Ransomware, and BlackSuit, are successors of the notorious Conti cybercrime syndicate.Hyundai Motor America is encouraging more dealers to join its Amazon retail program ahead of its consumer launch later this year.Randy Parker, Hyundai's U.S. CEO, updated dealers on the program's progress, enabling shoppers to buy a Hyundai online.An email from Hyundai offered interested dealers the chance to sign up via an online portal without commitment, touting benefits like access to millions of shoppers and the potential for incremental sales.The beta phase received positive feedback from both customers and dealers, with Amazon continuing to test and refine the online vehicle shopping experience.However, Amazon's onboarding capacity is limited, raising questions about prioritization.Don Hall, president of the Virginia Automobile Dealers Association, expressed concerns about trade-ins and leasing: "We don't want to see this car sold off to outside folks who sell used cars online. It's not a small point, it's a big point."The introduction of a $35 “Chick-fil-A Summer Camp” for children aged 5 to 12 at a Louisiana location sold out quickly but faced criticism on social media.The camp offers a behind-the-scenes look at working at Chick-fil-A, with sessions running for three hours over nine days in July.Attendees receive a kid's meal, T-shirt, name tag, and snack, and spend time with “Team Leaders” and the Chick-fil-A cow mascot.Chick-fil-A representatives clarified that the children will engage in activities with employees acting as counselors, not performing staff tasks.Mike Rowe, host of “Dirty Jobs,” defended the camp, emphasizing the importance of teaching kids soft skills critical for their development.Hosts: Paul J Daly and Kyle MountsierGet the Daily Push Back email at https://www.asotu.com/ JOIN the conversation on LinkedIn at: https://www.linkedin.com/company/asotu/ Read our most recent email at: https://www.asotu.com/media/push-back-email

This episode features a discussion on an undiscovered three-year hack, the cause of Snowflake attacks and allegations of how an Australian health insurer was compromised Join Howard Solomon and David Shipley in the weekend review edition of Cybersecurity Today for insights into major cybersecurity incidents.   Topics include a three-year undetected hack by the Velvet Ant gang, major breaches involving personal data theft, the Medibank hack, misuse of Snowflake passwords, and the recent CDK Global cyberattack affecting car dealerships. Learn about the latest developments and cybersecurity lessons from these significant events.   00:00 Introduction and Overview 00:40 Weekly Headlines Recap 04:15 In-Depth Analysis: Three-Year Undetected Hack 14:27 Medibank Data Breach Investigation 25:18 Snowflake Data Breaches Update 30:04 CDK Global Cyber Attack 33:47 Conclusion and Final Thoughts    

Biden bans Kaspersky over security concerns. Accenture says reports of them being breached are greatly exaggerated. SneakyChef targets diplomats in Africa, the Middle East, Europe and Asia. A serious firmware flaw affects Intel CPUs. More headaches for car dealerships relying on CDK Global. CISA Alerts Over 100,000 Individuals of Potential Data Breach in Chemical Security Tool Hack. SquidLoader targets Chinese organizations through phishing. A new nonprofit aims to establish certification standards in maritime cybersecurity. A sneak peek of our latest podcast, Only Malware in the Building. Using the court system for customer support. Our 2024 N2K CyberWire Audience Survey is underway, make your voice heard and get in the running for a $100 Amazon gift card. Remember to leave us a 5-star rating and review in your favorite podcast app. Miss an episode? Sign-up for our daily intelligence roundup, Daily Briefing, and you'll never miss a beat. And be sure to follow CyberWire Daily on LinkedIn. CyberWire Guest Guest Selena Larson, joined by Dave Bittner and Rick Howard, hosts the new podcast "Only Malware in the Building." This monthly collaboration between N2K CyberWire and Proofpoint delves into the most impactful and intriguing malware stories. Selena makes complex cybersecurity info fun and digestible, offering tech professionals clear, actionable insights.  Selected Reading Biden bans US sales of Kaspersky software over Russia ties (Reuters) Exclusive: Accenture says data leak claims false, only 3 affected (Cyber Daily) Chinese-aligned hacking group targeted more than a dozen government agencies, researchers find (CyberScoop) Intel-powered computers affected by serious firmware flaw (CVE-2024-0762) (Help Net Security) CDK warns: threat actors are calling customers, posing as support (bleepingcomputer) Personal and Chemical Facility Information Potentially Accessed in CISA Hack (SecurityWeek) New Highly Evasive SquidLoader Attacking Employees Mimic As Word Document (gbhackers) New body IMCSO to elevate standards and streamline provisioning of cybersecurity services in Maritime (itsecurityguru) US DHS partners with Indonesia to strengthen maritime cybersecurity in Indo-Pacific region (Industrial Cyber) How small claims court became Meta's customer service hotline (engadget). The curious case of the missing IcedID (Only Malware in the Building) Share your feedback. We want to ensure that you are getting the most out of the podcast. Please take a few minutes to share your thoughts with us by completing our brief listener survey as we continually work to improve the show.  Want to hear your company in the show? You too can reach the most influential leaders and operators in the industry. Here's our media kit. Contact us at cyberwire@n2k.com to request more info. The CyberWire is a production of N2K Networks, your source for strategic workforce intelligence. © N2K Networks, Inc. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

//The Wire//2330Z June 21, 2024////ROUTINE////BLUF: HOUTHI TARGETING CONTINUES TO ADAPT IN RED SEA. DOD FAILS TO ACCOUNT FOR FUNDING SENT TO CHINESE LABORATORIES RESEARCHING PATHOGENS.// -----BEGIN TEARLINE------International Events-Middle East: Growing concern has been expressed by various world powers regarding the increasing potential for an Israeli invasion of Lebanon. AC: While the Israeli military claims that the military and logistical preparations have been completed for a military operation within Lebanon, a political decision as to such has not yet been released to the public.Red Sea/HOA: Following the successful strike on the M/V TUTOR, Houthi forces have increased attempts to target commercial shipping via unmanned watercraft. Over the past few days, CENTCOM has claimed to have destroyed several such Unmanned Surface Vessels (USVs), though it is not clear as to if this targeting was successful, or if it was conducted as an immediate defense against operationally deployed craft. AC: Of note, the strike carried out on the TUTOR did not involve the more advanced weaponry known to be within the Houthi Order of Battle (OOB). The Houthis have at least several different variants of USV, purpose built for attacking commercial shipping. However, the first successful use of a USV by the Houthis during this conflict was via the conversion of a standard fishing skiff, complete with the deception tactic of using mannequins by which to close with the intended target undetected. This may pose a unique challenge for American forces, who many not easily discern such USVs from legitimate fishing vessels (whereas the dedicated USVs are very easily identifiable military targets, even from a considerable distance).-HomeFront-USA: Car dealerships around North America continue to suffer the widening impacts of a cyberattack that occurred a few days ago. CDK Global, the provider of the software used by most car dealerships to manage inventory, conduct sales, etc, was rendered ineffective by a ransomware cyberattack which resulted in the company taking most of their systems offline.Washington D.C. – The DoD Office of Inspector General publicly released their report (Dated June 18) regarding the limitations of DoD systems to track the funding allocated by the DoD to Chinese research laboratories conducting research on “pathogens of pandemic potential”. -----END TEARLINE-----Analyst Comments: It is not clear as to if the Pentagon failing to provide funding data for how much tax revenue was sent to Chinese research labs was done out of malice, incompetence, or both, but the end result is a lack of surprise on the part of the American taxpayer in any case.Analyst: S2A1//END REPORT//

Shoot us a Text.It's a busy Thursday in the dealership as stores across the country wake up to CDK Global's DMS being offline for a second straight day. But it's not all doom and gloom, as we're highlighting how Carter Myers Automotive celebrates new apprentice techs with a signing day.Show Notes with links:Yesterday's cyberattack against CDK Global's DMS disrupted nearly 15,000 dealerships. The attack halted various operations, including parts, service, accounting, finance, insurance, inventory, and cashier tasks, pushing dealers to adapt quickly to maintain sales and operations and apparently, it's not over.In an email to customers, CDK wrote, "We are sorry to inform you that we experienced an additional cyber incident late in the evening on June 19th. Out of continued caution and to protect our customers, we are once again proactively shutting down most of our systems. We are currently assessing the overall impact and consulting with external third-party experts. At this time, we do not have an estimated time frame for resolution and therefore our dealers' systems will not be available at a minimum on Thursday, June 20th."Rita Case, CEO of Rick Case Automotive, resorted to using pencil and paper, comparing it to hurricane-induced power outages. "We'll just have to do it manually. It's not different than when a hurricane comes and we're out of power. We'll just have to do everything by hand, then we'll have to recreate it. …We're following the instructions CDK has given us to protect the integrity of our information. This type of problem hasn't happened before." said Case who's group has been with CDK since 1979Teddy Morse, CEO of the Ed Morse Auto Group, one of the largest private groups in the country, said, “"That's a fun term to wake up to, by the way," Morse told Automotive News, reading a text from his team that simply said, ‘There has been a cyber event.'Morse continued "CDK systems are an important tool, but my team isn't completely reliant on them because our group will continue to take care of customers, and sell and service cars."  80% of his 50 stores are on CDKCarter Myers Automotive celebrates new apprentice technicians with signing ceremonies, similar to college athlete signings, to honor and promote careers in auto repair.Signing ceremonies include family, friends, local media, and politicians, attracting 100-150 attendees to cheer on the new apprentices.Beth Lucchesi, Talent Acquisition Specialist at CMA, emphasizes the benefits of trades, such as no college debt and great earning potential and said, “"We want to celebrate these students as they enter a career path and earn a living wage — with no college debt and great earning potential," said Beth Lucchesi.Apprentices receive hand tools and dealership gear to start their careers.One of the new techs, Danny Medina said "It was really exciting." There was a time when I was really worried about not knowing where I was going to start a career. So it was great finally seeing myself here and having a career set up for me."Hosts: Paul J Daly and Kyle MountsierGet the Daily Push Back email at https://www.asotu.com/ JOIN the conversation on LinkedIn at: https://www.linkedin.com/company/asotu/ Read our most recent email at: https://www.asotu.com/media/push-back-email

Welcome to the Car Dealership Guy Podcast. In this episode, I'm speaking with Jenni Newman, Editor-in-Chief of Cars.com where we discuss: Why automakers are building in the US again, What car brand makes the most American cars, and Something big is happening in Lincoln, Alabama. This episode of the Car Dealership Guy Podcast is brought to you by: This episode is brought to you by: LendBuzz - Expand access to credit with a simple and fast auto loan process that looks at you - not just your credit score. Learn more at https://www.lendbuzz.com/ CDK Global - Empowering dealers with the tools and technology to build deeper customer relationships. Learn more @ https://www.cdkglobal.com/dealership-xperience-platfor Cars Commerce - The platform to simplify everything about buying and selling cars. Learn more at https://www.carscommerce.inc/ Car Dealership Guy Industry Job Board - Connecting world-class talent with top-notch companies in Automotive. Find your next role—or start hiring today—at CDGJobs.com.  Interested in advertising with Car Dealership Guy? Drop us a line here Interested in being considered as a guest on the podcast? Add your name here Topics: (00:00:00) - Intro (00:02:20) - Jennifer's background and career (00:03:26) - How did you ideate this index? (00:05:35) - “Nearly 50% of car shoppers are willing to pay up to 30% more to support American jobs” (00:07:51) - Is there a fundamental shift happening where American-made cars are more important to the everyday person? (00:11:02) - The 2024 Index (00:12:40) - Why should the industry care about this? (00:15:33) - Ford and GM are not in the top 10 of the index, how? (00:20:08) - How has Honda gotten to #2 on this list? (00:23:26) - What are the criteria for creating the index? (00:25:54) - How will EVs impact the industry? (00:28:46) - What is your prediction for the next 12 months of index data? (00:31:23) - Were there any surprises from this year's index? Check out Cars Commerce here. Check out the website for more (https://dealershipguy.com) and follow me on X @GuyDealership! (https://x.com/guydealership) This podcast is for informational purposes only and should not be relied upon as a basis for investment decisions.

Welcome to the Car Dealership Guy Podcast. In this episode, I'm speaking with David Thomas, Director of Content Marketing at CDK Global where we discuss: The future of EVs in America, Car market says “What recession?”, Why 70% of EV owners will never go back, How China is tipping the scales on EV production and much more! This episode of the Car Dealership Guy Podcast is brought to you by: Auto Hauler Exchange - The Auto Hauler Exchange has revolutionized the way vehicle haulers and vehicle shippers collaborate. The Exchange is the first digital marketplace of its kind in the vehicle logistics industry. Learn more @ https://www.autohaulerexchange.com/ Private Auto - The safest way to buy vehicles privately. Use code ‘CDG' to list your car for free. Learn more @ https://privateauto.com/ CDK Global - Empowering dealers with the tools and technology to build deeper customer relationships. Learn more @ https://www.cdkglobal.com/dealership-xperience-platform Car Dealership Guy Industry Job Board - Connecting world-class talent with top-notch companies in Automotive. Find your next role—or start hiring today—at CDGJobs.com. Interested in advertising with Car Dealership Guy? Drop us a line here Interested in being considered as a guest on the podcast? Add your name here Topics: (00:00:00) - Intro (00:02:30) - David's career and background (00:06:03) - The state of the car market (00:11:05) - Where are we at today with how “easy” it is for consumers to buy a car? (00:16:40) - What's the state of EVs in the market? (00:32:52) - If you had to place your bet on one automaker to win the EV strategy, who would it be?  (00:35:24) - What are you seeing as best practices for EV servicing? (00:41:25) - What's your opinion on the possibility of cheap EVs coming in from China? (00:49:19) - What's your short-term outlook for EVs? Check out CDK Insights here. Check out the website for more (https://dealershipguy.com) and follow me on X @GuyDealership! (https://x.com/guydealership) This podcast is for informational purposes only and should not be relied upon as a basis for investment decisions.