10-Steps for Navigating FTC Safeguards Compliance

Step 1

Establish Safeguards Team

• Compliance starts with pulling together the right team:
  • Designate a "Qualified Individual" to implement, oversee, and enforce the program
  • Identify an information technology (IT) resource to oversee technical aspects
  • Add a compliance expert to help guide the team
• Establish key performance indicators (KPIs)
• Meet quarterly
• Track progress

Step 2

Written Risk Assessments

• Your dealership must conduct a written risk assessment that will:
  • Map customer information (storage, access, and process)
  • Identify risks
  • Evaluate and categorize risks
  • Examine controls and safeguards
  • Mitigate identified risks
  • Periodically reexamine the controls and safeguards
• Our platform automates the assessment process and documents the controls and safeguards

Step 3

Written Information Security Program

• Your information security program must be comprehensive, based on your written risk assessment, and include:
  • Administrative safeguards
  • Technical safeguards
  • Physical safeguards
• We help custom-tailor a written information security program for your organization

Step 4

Information Security Training

• Privacy and Safeguards
• Privacy and Safeguards for the Shop
• Document and Data Disposal
• Information Security Awareness
• Phishing Awareness
• PCI

Step 5

Phishing Penetration Testing

Over 90% of all hacking starts with phishing, and we will test for your greatest risk by:

• Conducting simulated phishing attacks of company-owned emails
• Providing remedial phishing trainings for team members that:
  • Click on links
  • Download attachments
  • Provide credentials

Step 6

Vendor Assessments and Agreements

• Each service provider with access to customer information must be:
  • Capable of appropriately safeguarding customer information
  • Assessed to confirm information security practices
  • Contractually obligated to appropriately safeguard customer information
• Our platform automates:
  • Assessments
  • Agreements
  • Web Audits using our NEW AbleAuditor, an intelligent discovery audit tool 

Step 7

Access Controls

• Access to customer information must be monitored and limited, and change management procedures must be implemented
• Our platform helps evaluate your controls and provides you with important polices and procedures, such as:
  • Data and Document Retention Policy
  • Data and Document Disposal Policy
  • Authorized Use Policy

Step 8

Technical Requirements

Through the assessment process, your information systems will be evaluated to ensure:

• Multi-factor authentication (MFA) is enabled
• Encryption is present
• Continuous monitoring is occurring
  • Absent effective continuous monitoring:
    • Penetration testing (at least annually)
    • Vulnerability scanning (at least every 6 months)

Step 9

Written Incident Response Plan

• Create a written incident response plan that will assist in:
  • Responding to a security incident
  • Recovering from a security incident
  • Remediating the security incident
  • Conducting a root cause analysis to help strengthen the information security program
• We help custom-tailor a written information security program for your organizationspan>
  

Step 10

Written Annual Report to Board (or Equivalent Body)

• The Qualified Individual must create a report (at least annually) identifying overall compliance and material matters, such as:
  • Risks assessed, managed, and controlled
  • Service provider arrangements
  • Testing results
  • Security violations, events, and responses
  • Proposed changes to the information security program
• We help prepare the annual status report for your Qualified Individual