The world has become more and more digital with each passing day. Although this is a great thing for many reasons, it also means that there are new avenues of attack for criminals to take advantage of. This includes the dental office you work at.
It’s important that you’re aware of cybersecurity best practices so that your patients don’t have any information compromised or sensitive data lost due to an IT security issue in your practice.
We’ll go over some common mistakes made in dental offices and how they can be prevented through better IT security measures-whether it’s making sure all employees know their passwords, disabling guest access privileges on public Wi-Fi networks, or using encryption software when emailing sensitive patient information.
Dental Offices as Targets by Cyber Criminals
Dental offices are often targeted by cyber-attacks because hackers know how much personal information is stored there and they want it for themselves. If an attacker gets into your computer system, they might even steal Social Security numbers or dental records – which would give them access to someone else’s dental history without them ever knowing anything had happened.
It seems like every day there’s another report on some sort of security breach at small businesses containing sensitive data such as dental offices. These breaches usually happen through phishing scams where attackers send emails pretending to come from legitimate sources asking dental office employees.
The most common cyber-attack methods include:
- Phishing/spear-phishing
- SQL injection attacks
- DDoS attacks
- And malware like computer viruses, adware, and spyware
The Crippling Effects of Cyber Attacks in Dental Offices
A breach of cybersecurity can lead to significant expenses and in many cases the financial hardship that accompanies such an eventuality. Cyber attacks often result in substantial financial loss arising from theft of corporate information, theft of bank details or payment card details, disruption to trading and a host of other costs. Reputational damage can also be felt in your business if such an event takes place. It can lead to loss of customers, sales and profits. Reputation management should be a top priority for any company in the digital world as cyber attacks are common occurrences resulting from hacking or viruses that attack computers and cell phones these days. Worst, your dental office might also face a series of legal consequences for failing to secure sensitive patient information and failing to comply with federal regulations.
It’s also possible for hackers to target small dental offices because they think these companies don’t have enough resources or know-how when it comes to preventing cybersecurity breaches. Cybercriminals are counting on smaller dental offices to have less stringent security policies in place when it comes to their data. They know that these smaller practices may not be as well-equipped with the latest technology for cybersecurity, and they’re hoping you’ll fall victim of this deception. Hackers are aware of how easy it is to steal patient information from dentists and smaller dental offices. One slip up by one employee could be disastrous for the entire network- hackers know this, which may explain why many hacking attempts go towards these locations.
This is a dangerous assumption as smaller businesses are often less equipped than larger enterprises with more money at their disposal – not only do hacking attempts on large corporations attract far greater scrutiny from law enforcement agencies but there may be some level of immunity afforded due to sheer size alone.
Enhancing Your Dental Office’s Cybersecurity
It’s very frustrating when you’re trying to run your dental practice and find out that all of the computer systems are inaccessible because of a cyber attack. A few minutes can be lost just trying to figure out what went wrong, which is time away from actually caring for patients who need treatment now.Dillon Dental Networks is a leading provider of dental network monitoring, security and recovery services in San Diego, CA. We offer 24/7 support to keep your dental office running smoothly. Our team also has extensive experience in HIPAA compliance and training so that you can be confident in our abilities to protect your data from unauthorized access or use.
Let us show you how we can make your dental office more efficient with our network monitoring service. Get started today by contacting us at the following details:
☎ 800-509-0344
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Dillon Dental Networks has been helping San Diego dental practices run smoothly for years. We’re a team of experts who understand the unique needs of dentists and their offices, which is why we provide complete managed IT services that are customized to fit each client’s budget and business goals.
To learn more about our software and dental IT support, you may visit:
- Carestream Support
- Dentrix Support
- Dexis Support
- Dolphin Support
- Planmeca Support
- Patterson Eaglesoft Support
- Schick Dental Support
- Suni Tech Dental Imaging Support
Our dental IT experts also provide HIPAA and HITECH compliance support and training to ensure that your dental office adheres to federal regulations.