Mandatory TRACS User Certification
Don’t Miss the January 31, 2022 Deadline!
Hi all. There seems to be a bit of confusion regarding the security and certification requirements for those of you who have access to TRACS.
TRACS Security is critical and there are four steps to ensuring the security of TRACS data.
- When a TRACS Coordinator assigns TRACS rights to a WASS User, it is the Coordinator’s responsibility to make sure that any new TRACS User/Coordinator has either:
- Completed the Cyber Awareness Challenge within the last 12 months or
- Completes the Cyber Awareness Challenge within 30 Days of Accepting the TRACS Rules of Behavior (ROB)
This is explained in HUD’s TRACS External Users Access/User Recertification/Security Awareness Training Requirements Guide which was revised 1/2022 replacing the TRACS External Users Access and Security Training Requirements - Revised December 10, 2021.
- TRACS prompts Users and Coordinators to accept the TRACS ROB each year. Each TRACS ROB should be signed and filed and made available upon request (usually at the Management & Occupancy Review). Note: If for some reason, a TRACS User or TRACS Coordinator did not save the TRACS ROB, a copy of the TRACS ROB can be accessed from HUD’s TRACS web page at https://www.hud.gov/sites/documents/TRACSROB.PDF.
- WASS Users/Coordinators with access to either EIV or TRACS must complete the Cyber Awareness Challenge (a.k.a. Security Awareness Training) annually. The Cyber Awareness Challenge completion certification should be signed and made available upon request (usually at the Management & Occupancy Review).
- Each year, TRACS Coordinators must certify TRACS Users when those Users still need access to TRACS. (There is no Coordinator certification). In 2022, the deadline for TRACS Coordinators to certify TRACS Users is January 31, 2022. There is no need for TRACS Users, who have completed the Cyber Awareness Challenge in the last year, to complete the Cyber Awareness Challenge at the same time the TRACS Coordinator certifies the TRACS Users as long as the Cyber Awareness Challenge was completed in the last year.
In order to assist our customers who are TRACS Coordinators, RBD has developed step-by-step instructions to assist Coordinators in the TRACS User Certification process. The TRACS Mandatory User Recertification Quick Start is available on our Resources Web site at https://www.rbdnow.com/resources/tracsimax. HUD’s TRACS User Certification Q&A is available on the RBD TRACS Resource page as well.
TRACS Coordinators - Don’t delay! Completing the TRACS User Certification process now will ensure that your certification and voucher transmission processing will not be interrupted.
Questions relative to the FY 2022 TRACS User Recertification requirement should be addressed to TRACS@hud.gov or the HUD Helpdesk at 1-800-767-7588.
