The Value of Cybersecurity Risk Assessments in Dealerships

Guest writer Kenny Molitor joins this week with a post on the value of cybersecurity risk assessments. Read on to learn why dealerships can’t afford to overlook their digital health.

For equipment dealerships, the service department has always been the engine of profitability. A well-run shop not only delivers customer satisfaction but also drives millions of dollars in revenue each year. Every minute of downtime translates into lost productivity, missed opportunities, and frustrated customers.

While dealers focus heavily on machine uptime, one hidden vulnerability is often overlooked:

The health of their IT systems.

Cybersecurity risks and untested systems can bring operations to a halt just as quickly as a machine breakdown on a jobsite.

The Hidden Cyber Risks in Dealerships

Modern dealerships rely on technology across every department, from service scheduling to financial applications. Yet many operate without a clear picture of their risk exposure. Cybersecurity risk assessments often uncover issues like these:

• Outdated Configurations: Dealer Management Systems (DMS) and Microsoft 365 tenants often run with weak settings or missing updates, making them easy targets.
• Unsecured Remote Access: With mobile service techs and multiple branches, unsecured VPNs or remote desktops can open the door to attackers.
• Neglected Endpoints: Field laptops and shop computers without proper patching or monitoring create invisible weak points.
• Vendor Risks: OEM tools, third-party apps, and outside contractors all connect to dealership systems, sometimes without security checks.
• Admin Passwords That Never Expire: Old administrator accounts are often left active with passwords that haven’t changed in years. Once stolen, they provide indefinite access to sensitive systems.
• Shared or Weak Admin Credentials: In some dealerships, multiple employees still share one “master” login. This practice eliminates accountability and makes it impossible to trace activity in the event of a breach.
• No Multifactor Authentication (MFA): Administrator and finance accounts without MFA remain one of the easiest entry points for attackers.
• Lack of Hard Drive Encryption: Laptops and desktops used in service bays or by field technicians often store sensitive data. Without full-disk encryption, a lost or stolen device could expose thousands of customer records.
• Unsecured Removable Media: USB drives and external hard drives without encryption or access controls introduce the risk of both accidental data loss and intentional theft.

A Real-World Example

One dealership learned this the hard way when a field technician’s laptop was stolen out of a service truck. Because the device had no encryption, the thief gained immediate access to customer credit applications, loan documents, and vendor contracts. The fallout included notifying hundreds of customers, purchasing credit monitoring for affected individuals, and a strained relationship with their OEM partner who demanded proof of stronger security controls.

Each of these issues may seem small in isolation, but together they create vulnerabilities that can disrupt dealership operations, expose customer data, and erode trust with OEMs and clients.

The Strategic Importance of Cybersecurity Risk Assessments

Each of these risks — from outdated admin passwords to unencrypted laptops — might seem like small cracks in the system. But left unaddressed, they can combine into dealership-wide outages, lost revenue, and damaged customer trust.

That’s why cybersecurity risk assessments are so important. They function like a comprehensive inspection for IT, giving dealers the same kind of visibility into their digital environment that they expect from a thorough machine inspection in the shop. Instead of guessing, leadership gains a clear, prioritized view of where they stand and what to do next.

For example, one dealer discovered during an assessment that a former employee’s administrator account was still active months after they left the company. That single oversight meant anyone who obtained those credentials could have accessed financial records, parts systems, and OEM portals without detection. Closing that gap immediately reduced their risk and reassured their OEM partner that security was being taken seriously.

The value lies in:

• Identifying Weak Points: Pinpoint gaps before attackers exploit them.
• Reducing Downtime: Prevent outages of critical systems like parts ordering or service scheduling.
• Protecting Customer Trust: Safeguard financing and insurance data your clients expect you to protect.
• Guiding Investments: Provide leadership with a prioritized roadmap for IT spending instead of relying on guesswork.
• Aligning with OEMs: More manufacturers, including Kubota, Case, John Deere, and New Holland, are requiring stronger dealer-level security practices.

 

Real-World Implications of Ignoring Assessments

Skipping regular cybersecurity risk assessments often feels harmless — until a problem surfaces. The challenge is that most dealerships don’t realize how fragile their IT foundation is until downtime, data loss, or a breach brings it to light.

One dealership learned this the hard way when their departments were locked out of the DMS for nearly two days following a ransomware incident. Because no prior assessment had flagged weak remote access settings, attackers slipped in through a forgotten VPN account. The outage cost thousands in missed sales and delayed service jobs — and worse, it shook customer confidence.

The consequences of ignoring assessments are clear:

• Revenue Loss: Service and sales downtime quickly translate into lost dollars.
• Operational Bottlenecks: Workflows stall when systems fail, causing cascading delays across departments.
• Customer Distrust: Clients expect their data to be secure. A single incident can drive them toward a competitor.
• OEM Pressure: As manufacturers raise security expectations, failing to assess and address risks could jeopardize dealer relationships.

 

The Path Forward: Proactive Digital Health Checks

The dealerships that stay resilient are the ones that treat cybersecurity like preventive maintenance — a regular, intentional process, not a one-time project. Just as no one would send a machine into the field without routine service, IT systems need the same discipline.

Here’s what proactive dealerships are doing:

• Regular Assessments: Conducting annual or quarterly reviews to keep pace with evolving threats. One dealer we worked with set up quarterly assessments after discovering during an initial review that several old admin accounts were still active. Within six months, their audit passed with zero findings — a complete turnaround from the year prior.
• Executive Involvement: Treating cyber risk as a board-level issue, not just an IT concern. Leadership that reviews assessment results is better positioned to prioritize investments.
• Actionable Roadmaps: Turning assessment findings into a clear plan with timelines, costs, and responsibilities — instead of leaving them as a list of technical problems.
• Continuous Monitoring: Pairing assessments with 24/7 monitoring ensure that gaps closed today don’t reopen tomorrow.
• Culture of Awareness: Training employees to recognize phishing attempts, use MFA, and protect customer data so the “human layer” of IT is just as resilient as the technical layer.

The dealerships embracing this approach don’t just avoid downtime — they gain stronger customer trust, smoother OEM relationships, and more predictable IT spending.

The Bottom Line
Cybersecurity risk assessments aren’t about checking a compliance box or satisfying an auditor. They’re about protecting what matters most to equipment dealerships: uptime, customer trust, and profitability.

Just as service managers rely on inspections to keep machines reliable, dealership leaders should rely on assessments to keep their digital infrastructure resilient.

Dealerships that make risk assessments a regular habit see clear benefits:

• Fewer unexpected outages.
• More predictable IT costs.
• Stronger alignment with OEM requirements.
• Greater confidence from customers who trust them with sensitive data.

In today’s environment, ignoring cyber risks isn’t an option. The dealerships that take a proactive approach will not only avoid costly incidents — they’ll turn IT into a true business asset.

Leadership, training, and strategy keep a dealership competitive. Cybersecurity risk assessments make sure nothing undermines that success.

Ready to See Where You Stand?

Cybersecurity risk assessments are the first step to protecting your dealership’s uptime, customer trust, and OEM relationships.

At rocketwise, we specialize in assessments built specifically for multi-location equipment dealerships.

Let’s schedule your Cybersecurity Risk Assessment today — and give you a clear, prioritized roadmap for protecting your operations.