EXECUTIVE DIRECTOR’S MESSAGE: A BREACH OF CONCERN

A Breach of Concern

BY BRIAN DANSEL, EXECUTIVE DIRECTOR

While it is near the end of the legislative session, and as we continue to monitor the final remaining votes this year, it was a different sort of news coming out of Olympia that has me concerned enough to write about it for this month’s article. As I am sure you are aware, the Department of Licensing came forward a few weeks back to announce that they had been hacked. According to the Seattle Times—the potential breach, which the Department of Licensing made public Feb. 3, may have affected personal data from people and companies in 23 professional and business categories, ranging from auctioneers to real estate agents to funeral directors.

The potential breach remains under investigation by the state Office of Cybersecurity, the state Attorney General’s Office and a third-party cybersecurity firm, CrowdStrike, Department of Licensing officials said. It’s still unclear whether licensees’ personal data was actually stolen or simply was exposed to possible theft, Department of Licensing officials said Monday. The agency also doesn’t yet know exactly how many licensees may have been affected and has yet to determine whether the potential breach occurred within the agency, in the database, or in some other part of the data system.

While auto dealers wasn’t a confirmed category of licensee that was breached, many of the service type licenses (notaries for example) were compromised. If you offer services that you think may fall under a category that was compromised, please visit the Department of Licensing immediately. You can find this information atdol.wa.gov/outage. n

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“What does the membership give me?”

BY MILA FROMAN, WSIADA MEMBERSHIP MANAGER

This is the most common question that we receive when discussing membership with dealers. With the current benefits, you can take advantage of savings for your dealership supplies when shopping with us (10% member discount), and when you are at the auctions (our new savings program). You also get invoicing options, discounts on WSIADA events, and legal support. I can list them all, but you don’t want to just read the menu; you want to see the entrée.

Our main purpose at WSIADA is to support independent dealers and ensure that your dealership has an outlet for questions, concerns, and education to help grow your business into a strong and healthy one. Whether it’s to use our Dealer Hotline to ask a simple question or asking to consult our legal support for a difficult situation, the Association is here for its members.

For a time there, we were collectively struggling when businesses had to close due to the pandemic. Unfortunately, we have seen several dealerships, both non-member and members alike, unable to bounce back and forced to shut down for good.

Before the pandemic, I had been tasked with our dealer membership program for several months, and the main thing I wanted to work on were our benefits. Many of our longtime members have seen our benefits become stagnant for several years and we are attempting to beef them up sooner rather than later. There’s been express interest from some of our dealer members for more discounts, healthcare, and increased presence in the legislature – and these are just a few ideas!

So, my question to you, whether you are a member of the association or not: What benefits would YOU like to see and use? If you have ideas or suggestions, you can contact us at membership@wsiada.com and we can get the ball rolling. n