Can a HITRUST Report Be Shared With Others?

Yes—when done responsibly and through approved channels. You can share a HITRUST report with authorized parties while preserving Report Integrity, protecting confidential details, and complying with HITRUST program rules and your own Compliance Requirements. The key is to use official tools, keep the Scope of Assessment clear, and never alter official artifacts such as the Certification Letter.

HITRUST Report Sharing Policies

HITRUST permits sharing with customers, regulators, and other relying parties when distribution follows program guidance. Use official mechanisms that maintain authenticity and ensure recipients see the current, complete results in the right context.

What you may share

• The official HITRUST Certification Letter as issued, unmodified and complete.
• The validated or certified assessment report that matches the intended Scope of Assessment.
• Supplemental cover notes that add context without editing, redacting, or restating the report itself.

What you must not share

• Altered pages, partial excerpts, or rebranded versions that could misstate findings or break Report Integrity.
• Internal testing evidence or artifacts outside the defined Scope of Assessment unless explicitly permitted.
• HITRUST Proprietary Marks in unauthorized ways, including modified logos or claims implying endorsement.

Audience and need-to-know

Limit distribution to parties with a legitimate business need. Apply least-privilege access, document the purpose, and align sharing decisions with your vendor risk, legal, and Compliance Requirements.

Use of Results Distribution System

The HITRUST Results Distribution System streamlines secure, controlled sharing. It centralizes access, applies Authentication Mechanisms, and lets you maintain version control as your assessments evolve.

How to distribute via the Results Distribution System

1. Select the assessment to share, confirm the Scope of Assessment, and verify dates and assessment type.
2. Add recipients and define exactly what they can see (for example, the full report or just the Certification Letter).
3. Set time-bound access and any available protections (such as read-only views or watermarks where supported).
4. Send invitations so recipients authenticate before viewing materials.
5. Monitor access events, update recipients as needed, and revoke access immediately if a report is superseded.

Why use the Results Distribution System

• Strong Authentication Mechanisms and access controls protect sensitive details.
• Version control ensures every relying party sees the latest, authoritative results.
• Revocation and expiration reduce lingering exposure of outdated reports.
• Audit trails help demonstrate due diligence during third-party reviews.

Role of the Report Center

The Report Center acts as a single source of truth for distributing and retrieving reports. It helps owners manage who has access and gives recipients a consistent, trustworthy location to view current outcomes.

For report owners

• Maintain an inventory of shared assessments and Certification Letters.
• Track recipient activity and confirm Report Integrity across versions.
• Coordinate re-issuance when scope or timing changes, avoiding email sprawl.

For recipients

• Verify entity details, assessment type, and validity dates in one place.
• Confirm the Scope of Assessment and review included systems and locations.
• Rely on the platform’s Authentication Mechanisms to reduce spoofed or stale documents.

Maintaining Report Integrity

Report Integrity means the content remains complete, accurate, and tamper-evident from issuance to review. Preserve the original artifacts and keep their context intact at every step.

Preserve original content

• Share the official report and Certification Letter as issued—do not edit, reformat, or extract pages.
• Keep the Scope of Assessment prominent so findings are not misapplied to out-of-scope systems.

Use approved controls

• Prefer platform-based sharing that applies Authentication Mechanisms and read-only access.
• Add clarifying commentary in a separate cover note instead of annotating or redlining the report.
• Revoke or replace prior shares immediately if the report is updated or withdrawn.

Respect proprietary marks

• Use HITRUST Proprietary Marks only as allowed; never alter size, color, or wording.
• Pair any mark usage with accurate, current Certification Letter details—no embellishment or endorsement claims.

Compliance Considerations for Sharing

Treat the report as confidential. Align distribution with your policies, contracts, and regulatory obligations. Share only what recipients need to satisfy due diligence.

• Execute NDAs where required and document the business purpose for access.
• Apply retention and deletion rules; remove access when no longer needed.
• Record who received what and when to satisfy audit and Compliance Requirements.
• Use Authentication Mechanisms to evidence authenticity and deter unauthorized redistribution.

This guidance is informational and not legal advice; involve legal and compliance stakeholders for organization-specific requirements.

Benefits of Secure Report Sharing

A disciplined approach to sharing speeds third-party reviews, reduces bespoke questionnaires, and builds confidence with customers and regulators. It also limits risk by keeping authoritative versions in a controlled channel.

• Faster vendor assessments with fewer back-and-forth requests.
• Reduced version sprawl through centralized, revocable access.
• Stronger Report Integrity with clear Scope of Assessment and provenance.
• Credible, repeatable evidence of your security and compliance posture.

Conclusion

You can share a HITRUST report safely by using the Results Distribution System and the Report Center, preserving original artifacts like the Certification Letter, respecting Proprietary Marks, and enforcing Authentication Mechanisms. Keep the Scope of Assessment clear and align every share with your Compliance Requirements.

FAQs

What are the conditions for sharing a HITRUST report?

Share only with authorized relying parties for a defined purpose, keep the Scope of Assessment and validity dates visible, use approved channels that enforce Authentication Mechanisms, do not alter the report or Certification Letter, and follow your contractual, legal, and internal Compliance Requirements.

How does the Results Distribution System enhance report sharing?

It centralizes distribution with authenticated, time-bound access, delivers the current authoritative version, enables revocation and audit logging, and helps maintain Report Integrity so recipients trust that what they see is accurate and in scope.

Can the HITRUST certification letter be modified before sharing?

No. The Certification Letter must be shared exactly as issued. If you need to add business context, provide a separate cover note without changing the document or any HITRUST Proprietary Marks.

How can recipients verify the authenticity of a HITRUST report?

Access it through the Report Center or an authorized Results Distribution System share, confirm entity details, assessment type, scope, and dates, and look for platform indicators of authenticity. If received outside official channels, request a platform share or confirmation from the assessed entity before relying on it.