VinSolutions, Cox Automotive’s customer relationship management platform for automotive dealers, recently identified suspicious activity on its platform. NIADA has been in direct communication with Cox Automotive regarding the situation and is sharing the following information to help keep dealers informed. Cox Automotive says it promptly took steps to contain the activity and launched an investigation with the assistance of outside cybersecurity experts. The company says VinSolutions continues to operate normally and that there is no indication other Cox Automotive solutions or platforms were affected.
Cox Automotive’s investigation remains ongoing and is focused on determining the nature and scope of any data that may have been involved. Based on its investigation to date, Cox believes any data involved relates to a subset of VinSolutions customers. Cox has said it will communicate directly with affected customers as appropriate as its investigation progresses.
NIADA encourages dealers to continue following their established cybersecurity practices, including maintaining appropriate account credentials and access controls. If a dealer receives notice that its information was affected, it should work with Cox Automotive and its own legal or compliance resources to evaluate any applicable obligations, including under the FTC Safeguards Rule and state data breach notification laws. Cox Automotive has indicated that it intends to support affected customers with resulting regulatory or privacy notification obligations as appropriate.
