Introducing Ridgeback Network Defense
The ability to provide continuous monitoring of dealership technical infrastructure and all entry points. Ridgeback is the watchdog that never sleeps.
Complete Visibility.
Total Control.
Modern dealerships are digital fortresses with thousands of entry points. Ridgeback is a purpose-built appliance that sits on your network, scanning for vulnerabilities 24/7/365.
It satisfies the strict "Continuous Monitoring" requirements of the FTC Safeguards Rule without disrupting your daily operations or slowing down your network.
Ridgeback Network Defense was built for networks where a breach is catastrophic. ARMP brings it to franchised and independent dealerships: sized for a store rather than an enterprise security team, and mapped to the FTC Safeguards Rule continuous monitoring requirement.
Real-Time Scanning
Identifies open ports, unpatched software, and rogue devices instantly.
Automated Reporting
Generates executive summaries and technical remediation plans automatically.
Why Traditional Defense Fails
Comparing Ridgeback against standard security tooling.
What a dealership asks first
The practical questions, answered plainly.
Does this satisfy the FTC Safeguards Rule?
It satisfies the testing requirement in 16 CFR 314.4(d), which gives a dealership two routes. Either run continuous monitoring, or run annual penetration testing plus vulnerability assessments every six months. Ridgeback is the first route, which is why it replaces a testing calendar rather than adding to one.
It does not, on its own, make a store compliant. The Rule asks for nine elements, and monitoring is one. The written information security program, the Qualified Individual, the risk assessment and the vendor oversight still have to exist, which is the work ARMP does around the appliance.
We already pay an MSP. Why add this?
Most dealership IT contracts cover uptime, patching and a firewall. Those keep the store running and stop known bad traffic at the edge. Neither watches what happens after something is already inside, which is where a dealership breach actually plays out: a credential phished from a salesperson, then quiet movement across a flat network toward the DMS.
Ask the MSP a single question. If an attacker were on the network right now, what would tell us, and how long would it take? If the answer is a log nobody reads, the gap is real.
Will it slow the store down?
No agents go on workstations, so there is nothing to install on the machines the desk, service drive and F&I office work from. The appliance sits on the network and watches traffic rather than sitting between users and the systems they use, so a deal in progress is not waiting on it.
That matters more in a dealership than in an office. A store that cannot pull credit or cut a contract is a store that cannot deliver a car that day.
What does it cover that we forget about?
The parts of a dealership network nobody inventories. The service drive tablets, the guest wifi a customer joins while they wait, the body shop estimating workstation, the lot camera recorder, the sales manager's personal laptop on the staff network, and whatever the last vendor plugged in and never mentioned.
A dealership rarely has a current asset list, and 16 CFR 314.4(c)(2) asks for one. Watching the network is how the list gets built and stays honest.
What happens when it finds something?
Movement toward a phantom endpoint is not ambiguous. Nothing legitimate reaches for a device that does not exist, so the signal does not need interpreting the way a behavioural alert does, and it does not arrive with a queue of false positives behind it.
The response is contained first and explained second, and every finding lands in the record the dealership shows a lender, an insurer or an examiner later.
What does it cost?
Quoted per rooftop after a scoping call, because the number depends on how many network segments a store runs, how many locations share infrastructure, and whether the monitoring is bought on its own or inside a compliance package.
Worth pricing against what it replaces rather than as a new line. A store already buying annual penetration testing and semiannual vulnerability assessments to satisfy 314.4(d) is comparing against that spend, not adding to it.
For Dealer IT & Operations
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Complete Network Visibility
Every device—diagnostic systems, office PCs, DMS, even rogue Wi-Fi gear—is seen instantly. No blind spots.
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Reduced Operational Overhead
Runs light and autonomous. Doesn't drain IT staff or MSP contracts, letting them focus on uptime.
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Actionable Risk Reporting
Crystal-clear reports for ownership. No jargon. Just hard facts for data-driven decisions.
For Cybersecurity
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Proactive Defense
Disrupts intruders in real time, stopping attacks before they can touch sales, service, or back-office systems.
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Lateral Movement Prevention
When an intruder slips inside, Ridgeback contains them before they spread to DMS or Finance. Zero-day threats stopped cold.
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Protection Against Modern Threats
Signature-based tools are blind to unknown attacks. Ridgeback creates an active environment that ejects attackers.
Stories from the Dark Side
Service Bay Scan That Didn't Spread
A service laptop gets infected via USB. Normally, malware scans for the DMS or Finance office.
Ridgeback Outcome:
Intercepted probing in real-time. Frozen on the infected device. No downtime for the rest of the dealer network.
Building Systems as a Weak Link
HVAC and lighting controls are often forgotten, unmanaged IoT devices that attackers exploit to gain a foothold.
Ridgeback Outcome:
Total visibility on Layer-2 shows the remote connection attempt. Blocked before reaching the building controller.
Protecting Revenue at Point of Sale
A compromised sales kiosk provides a pathway to the DMS. Attackers try to establish persistence through open services.
Ridgeback Outcome:
Immediately identifies and interrupts the session. The finance desk stays up, contracts get signed, revenue flows.