Score Your CPA or RIA Firm Against All 9 Program Areas Required by 16 CFR § 314

FTC Safeguards Rule Checklist Tool

The amended FTC Safeguards Rule put every CPA firm preparing tax returns, every RIA, and many other "financial institutions" under the Gramm-Leach-Bliley Act into scope of a federal cybersecurity rule with civil penalties exceeding $50,000 per violation per day. This free interactive checklist scores your firm against all 20 control elements required by 16 CFR § 314.4 — DQI, WISP, MFA, encryption, Privileged Access Management, monitoring, vendor management, incident response, and annual board reporting. Get an honest score, see where the gaps are, and export a documented checklist you can bring to your DQI or your MSP.

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FTC Safeguards Rule Compliance Checklist

FTC Safeguards Rule Self-Check

20 control elements across all 9 program areas required by 16 CFR § 314.4. Check off what you have in place. Get a score, gap report, and high-leverage recommendations. 100% browser-only.

Program Elements

Access Controls

Encryption & Data Protection

Change Management

Monitoring & Testing

Personnel

Service Providers

Incident Response

Board Reporting

Compliance Score

Critical Exposure

0 / 20 controls checked

FTC Penalty Exposure

Civil penalties exceed $50,000 per violation per day. CPA firms, RIAs, mortgage brokers, and many others are explicitly in scope.

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What We Offer

Comprehensive solutions tailored for Houston-area businesses

All 9 Program Areas Covered

Program Elements (DQI, WISP, risk assessment), Access Controls, Encryption & Data Protection, Change Management, Monitoring & Testing, Personnel, Service Providers, Incident Response, and Board Reporting — all 20 control elements required by 16 CFR § 314.4.

Live Compliance Score

Real-time scoring from 0 to 100 with status labels: Critical Exposure, Material Gaps, Substantially Compliant, Audit-Ready.

Citation Per Control

Every control links to its 16 CFR § 314 citation so you can map each item directly to the federal regulation.

PAM Quick Win Highlighted

Privileged Access Management (PAM) — application allowlisting and ringfencing — satisfies access controls (§ 314.4(c)(1)) AND change management (§ 314.4(c)(7)) in a single deployment.

Export Your Gap Report

Download a text checklist with score, control-by-control status, and recommended next steps. Bring it to your DQI, your CPA peer review, or your cyber insurance renewal.

100% Browser-Only

Nothing is sent to LayerLogix servers, never logged, never stored. Your checklist stays on your device.

Why Choose LayerLogix?

Serving businesses throughout the Greater Houston area including Houston, The Woodlands, Sugar Land, Spring, Conroe, Pearland, Dallas, Fort Worth, Austin.

Avoid $50K+ Daily Penalties

FTC civil penalties exceed $50,000 per violation per day. The tool gives you an honest baseline of where you actually stand against all 20 control elements.

PAM as Highest-Leverage Investment

PAM satisfies multiple Safeguards Rule controls in a single deployment — the highest-ROI single investment a CPA firm or RIA can make for compliance.

Cyber Insurance Premium Reduction

Documented Safeguards Rule controls (especially PAM, MFA, and encryption) routinely reduce cyber insurance premiums 10-25% on renewal.

Defensible Evidence

Your DQI must produce an annual board report. Export the gap analysis and use it as a baseline document for the program of work.

Free Forever

No email gate, no signup, no upsell on the tool itself. We earn the conversation by giving away the tool.

Our Process

Open the tool — no signup, no email required, nothing tracked

Check off each of the 20 control elements you currently have in place

Watch your compliance score update in real time (0-100 with status labels)

Review the FTC Penalty Exposure callout if score is below 95%

Export your text checklist with score, control-by-control status, and recommended next steps

If you do not have a Designated Qualified Individual (DQI), our vCISO can serve in that role

When you are ready for managed compliance with PAM and DQI services, contact LayerLogix for a Safeguards Rule managed compliance proposal

Frequently Asked Questions

Is this an official FTC compliance assessment?▼

No. This is a self-assessment tool that helps you score your firm against the 20 control elements 16 CFR § 314.4 requires. It is for honest internal scoring and gap identification — not a substitute for legal counsel or a formal compliance program. If you are confused about whether your firm is in scope of the Safeguards Rule, talk to counsel and an MSP that delivers Safeguards Rule managed compliance.

Is my CPA firm actually subject to the FTC Safeguards Rule?▼

Almost certainly yes. The FTC has explicitly stated that CPA firms preparing tax returns, EAs, accountants who prepare financial statements involving non-public personal information, mortgage brokers, RIAs, and many other entities are "financial institutions" under the Gramm-Leach-Bliley Act and therefore in scope.

What is a Designated Qualified Individual (DQI)?▼

The DQI is a single qualified person responsible for overseeing, implementing, and enforcing your information security program. The DQI may be a third party — our vCISO can serve as your DQI, including the annual board report and ongoing program oversight required under § 314.4(i).

Why does the tool flag PAM as a quick win?▼

Privileged Access Management (PAM) — application allowlisting, ringfencing, and storage control — satisfies access controls (§ 314.4(c)(1)), change management (§ 314.4(c)(7)), and continuous monitoring (§ 314.4(d)) requirements in a single deployment. For most CPA firms and RIAs, PAM is the single highest-leverage technical investment they can make for Safeguards Rule compliance.

Is my data sent anywhere?▼

No. The tool runs entirely in your browser. Nothing is sent to LayerLogix servers, never logged, never stored. The export checklist is generated client-side and downloaded directly.

Ready to Get Started?

Contact LayerLogix today for a free consultation. We serve businesses throughout Houston, The Woodlands, Sugar Land, and the surrounding Greater Houston area.

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