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Car dealers need to improve their data security according to automotive technology specialist iVendi.
iVendi director James Tew added: “Like a lot of IT companies working in the motor industry IT sector, we treat the subject of data security with the gravity that it deserves and work hard to ensure that our systems cannot be easily hacked.
“However, one of the weakest points in the dealer IT security chain tends to be at the dealer end. Factors such as high staff turnover and general apathy towards the subject means that passwords are often easily accessible.
“With more and more sensitive and potentially valuable information about both dealerships and customers being stored online, this is a situation that cannot continue and dealers need to adopt proper data security policies.”
iVendi highlighted three common flaws in dealerships. Using personal rather than work e-mail addresses as usernames, adopting easily guessable passwords, and failing to update passwords regularly.
“In an industry where many dealerships have a sales staff turnover of 25-30% annually, it is common to find that the username is the personal e-mail address of someone who left the business some time ago, who may now be a disgruntled ex-employee with an axe to grind against your business.
“Clearly, this kind of approach barely qualifies as security at all. It is the equivalent of leaving the front and back doors of your home open with a large sign saying ‘Welcome burglars’ hanging from the eaves.
“Now that more and more data is being entrusted to dealers, there needs to be an industry wide upgrade in the approach to security seen in your average dealership. This is valuable information and should be treated as such.”