Compliance and cybersecurity, in plain dealer language.
Practical guidance on the FTC Safeguards Rule, GLBA, TISAX, and the security programs dealerships actually have to run. Written for the people who own the risk.
TISAX Assessment Levels Explained: AL1, AL2 and AL3
What TISAX Levels 1, 2 and 3 actually require, how Level 2 differs from Level 3, how TISAX compares to ISO 27001, and whether a US dealership needs any of it.
Read the article →- GLBA
State Privacy Laws Are Closing the GLBA Loophole for Dealerships
For years dealers assumed the Gramm-Leach-Bliley Act exempted them from state privacy laws. In 2026 that assumption stops being safe. Here is what changed and what to do.
Jul 1, 2026 - Providers
Ransomware Doubled in Auto Retail. Here Is What It Means for Your Vendor Oversight.
Ransomware now drives a large share of attacks on the auto industry, and the worst 2025 dealer breaches came through software vendors. The FTC already told you to watch them.
Jun 16, 2026 - FTC Safeguards
The FTC Just Answered Dealers' Biggest Safeguards Questions
In 2025 the FTC published its first Safeguards Rule FAQs written specifically for auto dealers. Here is what they clarified about vendors, OEMs, and who is actually on the hook.
May 19, 2026 - Dealership Ops
Shared Mailboxes and 'Everyone Logs In' Habits: How Attackers Use Them in Dealerships
Dealerships move fast. When the line is stacked in the service drive and the phones won't stop, 'make it easy' becomes the rule.
Jan 28, 2026 - Dealership Ops
Unsupported OS Risk: What to Do with Old Scan Stations and Lane PCs (Without Wrecking Fixed Ops)
Every dealership has 'that one computer.'
Jan 24, 2026 - Dealership Ops
Cyber Incident Communications: What to Say (and Who to Call) When Your Dealership Gets Hit
Most dealerships plan for hail, floorplan audits, and month-end chaos.
Jan 22, 2026 - Dealership Ops
How to Prepare for a Cyber Underwriting Call: A GM and Controller Script for Dealerships
Cyber underwriting calls used to be quick. Now they feel more like an audit interview. The underwriter is trying to figure out two things:
Jan 20, 2026 - Dealership Ops
Cyber Insurance for Dealerships: The Controls That Drive Approval and Pricing
Cyber insurance used to feel like a paperwork exercise: answer a few questions, get a quote, bind the policy, move on.
Jan 17, 2026 - FTC Safeguards
FTC Safeguards Gap Assessment: What It Is, Why It Matters, and What Dealers Should Expect
It's a normal Monday. Service is stacking ROs. Sales is desking deals. F&I is chasing stips. Accounting is in month-end mode.
Jan 14, 2026 - FTC Safeguards
The FTC Safeguards Rule for GMs: Where Dealerships Usually Get Burned (and How to Prevent It)
As a GM, you already juggle enough: hitting the number, keeping fixed ops flowing, protecting CSI, managing turnover, and keeping the OEM off your back.
Jan 11, 2026 - FTC Safeguards
From Risk List To Real Protection: Designing Safeguards That Actually Work In Your Dealership
Once you've gone through the work of a Safeguards Rule risk assessment, you're left staring at a list that can feel... intimidating.
Dec 13, 2025 - TISAX
ISO 27001 vs TISAX Level 2 for Dealerships
A lot of dealerships run into ISO 27001 or TISAX because someone upstream wants reassurance: 'Can you protect our data, your systems, and your access to...
Dec 11, 2025 - FTC Safeguards
Know What You Have: Conduct a Written Risk Assessment
You can't protect what you don't know you have. The FTC's Safeguards Rule takes that idea and turns it into a very specific expectation:
Dec 9, 2025 - FTC Safeguards
Start By Putting Someone In Charge: The Qualified Individual
If your dealership handles financing, the FTC's Safeguards Rule is very clear about where you start with 'reasonable' security. Before tools, before...
Dec 4, 2025 - FTC Safeguards
What Does a Reasonable Information Security Program Look Like for Auto Dealers?
The FTC never hands dealers a checklist score for 'reasonable.' It is a standard, scaled to your stores and judged hardest after an incident. Here is how the FTC actually decides whether your program measures up.
Dec 1, 2025 - GLBA
GLBA Safeguards Rule: What It Really Means For Your Dealership's Leadership
If your dealership arranges or extends credit, you are treated as a 'financial institution' under the FTC's GLBA Safeguards Rule. That means you are...
Nov 28, 2025 - Dealership Ops
Controller's Guide to Wire Fraud Prevention
Wire fraud doesn't start in the bank portal. It starts in inboxes, vendor masters, and rushed approvals. This guide gives Controllers a dealership-ready...
Nov 21, 2025 - Dealership Ops
Recon Time vs. Downtime: Keep Reconditioning Moving When Systems Go Dark
Every used car on your lot is a clock. The Used Car Manager wants days-in-recon down, the GM wants turns up, and the Service Director wants tech hours...
Nov 18, 2025 - Dealership Ops
Microsoft 365 Hardening for the Showroom
If fraud hits a dealership, it usually walks in through email. One spoofed 'urgent wire' to the Controller or a compromised Sales Manager inbox that...
Nov 15, 2025 - Providers
Third-Party Risk in the Lane and in F&I: Grade Your Vendors Like a Pro
A dealership lives on integrations. Your DMS feeds your CRM, menus pull rates, recon apps update RO photos, digital retailing pushes credit apps, and...
Nov 12, 2025 - Dealership Ops
Cyber Insurance Readiness for Dealers: The 8 Controls Carriers Ask For First
Audience: Dealer Principal, CFO/Controller, and QI/Compliance lead at single or multi-rooftop groups. Note: Practical guidance, not legal advice...
Nov 8, 2025 - Dealership Ops
Multi-Store Incident Response: Run a 60-Minute Tabletop That Actually Prepares Your Rooftops
If a DMS outage slammed your group at 10 a.m., could your stores keep selling and funding? If a Controller got a fake wire request at 2:37 p.m., would...
Nov 6, 2025 - WISP
Build Your Dealership WISP Without The Legalese
If your stores arrange customer financing, you're already a 'financial institution' in the eyes of the FTC. That means you need a Written Information Security Program, or...
Nov 4, 2025 - FTC Safeguards
What a 'Qualified Individual' Actually Does at a 5-10 Rooftop Group (And How to Measure Their Impact)
Audience: Dealer Principal and Controller/Compliance Officer at a 5-10 rooftop group. Secondary: IT/InfoSec lead, GM, GSM.
Nov 2, 2025 - FTC Safeguards
Why Dealership Leadership Must Review and Approve an Annual FTC Safeguards Report
Your dealership's cybersecurity program only works if leadership understands it, supports it, and reviews it. The Federal Trade Commission (FTC) made that...
Oct 31, 2025 - Dealership Ops
Why Every Dealership Needs a Written Incident Response Plan
Your dealership runs fast every day. Customer data moves through emails, credit applications, and service systems from morning to night. One unexpected...
Oct 29, 2025 - FTC Safeguards
Why Your Dealership's Security Program Should Always Stay Current
Your dealership is constantly changing. You upgrade software, hire new employees, and adjust your processes to stay competitive. Each of those changes...
Oct 27, 2025 - Providers
How to Protect Your Dealership by Overseeing Your Service Providers
Your dealership depends on vendors for almost everything: from managing inventory to processing credit applications and maintaining your website. These...
Oct 25, 2025 - FTC Safeguards
How Employee Training Protects Your Dealership from Costly Mistakes
Even the best cybersecurity tools cannot stop a careless click or a rushed decision. Every day, dealership employees handle personal and financial...
Oct 23, 2025 - FTC Safeguards
How Regular Testing Keeps Your Dealership's Cybersecurity Strong
Even with good security tools in place, your dealership's job is not done. Technology changes, employees come and go, and new threats appear every week...
Oct 21, 2025 - FTC Safeguards
The Scalable Path to FTC Safeguards Compliance
Many small and single-rooftop dealerships believe compliance with the FTC Safeguards Rule is only for large auto groups with full-time IT departments. The...
Oct 13, 2025 - FTC Safeguards
FTC Safeguards Rule Requirements: All 10, Explained for Dealers
Every FTC Safeguards Rule requirement in plain English for dealerships: what each one means in a store, its 16 CFR 314.4 citation, and the deadlines now in force.
Oct 12, 2025 - Dealership Ops
Why Dealerships Are Among the Most Watched Businesses in America
Car dealerships are under a microscope. Federal and state agencies, lenders, insurance companies, and law firms pay close attention to how dealerships...
Oct 12, 2025
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