Understanding Dental Data Security Breaches

In today’s digital age, dental and oral surgery practices are increasingly reliant on technology to manage patient records and streamline office operations. However, with this convenience comes the growing threat of data security breaches. From sensitive patient information to financial records, dental practices are a prime target for cybercriminals seeking to exploit vulnerabilities. Phishing schemes and ransomware attacks can lead to catastrophic breaches, resulting in financial loss, reputational damage, and legal complications for your practice.

An important step in keeping your data safe is understanding data security breaches. 

What is a Data Security Breach?

A data security breach is an incident where unauthorized individuals gain access to confidential, sensitive, or protected information, usually resulting in data theft, exposure, or corruption. Two of the most common ways that your data can be compromised are through phishing and ransomoware. Here is what happens when these occur: 

• • Phishing: Cybercriminals often trick employees into clicking on malicious links found in emails, text messages, or on websites.
  • Ransomware: A form of malicious software, or malware, designed to disrupt or compromise a computer system or network, accompanied by the cybercriminal demanding ransom for the data.

A common form of phishing is email phishing, where the hacker disguises the message to look as though it comes from a reputable international organization. In the healthcare sector, such emails frequently reference a prominent medical crisis or event to exploit the sense of urgency.

For instance, a phishing email might mention a sudden health crisis, like Covid-19, offering a link to download a document or report. The recipient unknowingly lands on a fake site and enters their login credentials. 

Cybercriminals who use ransomware rely, partly, on dental and oral surgery practice being highly motivated to minimize operational disruptions. Once ransomware infiltrates a network — often via phishing — cybercriminals contact the affected clinic or organization, demanding payment to stop the attack. 

While the FBI in the U.S. advises against paying the ransom and instead encourages reporting the incident, many organizations choose to pay in an effort to limit damage and protect their reputation. Unfortunately, paying the ransom does not guarantee anything, leading to an extended period of extortion.

An important — and concerning — trend in ransomware attacks is the rise of Ransomware-as-a-Service (RaaS). Cybercriminals can now access pre-made tools and platforms to execute ransomware attacks, requiring minimal technical expertise to launch a data security breach.

Prevention Matters!

Dentists and oral surgeons must be proactive in order to keep the personal health information in their care safe from data security breaches. Part of this means staying up-to-date with current digital security standards. And, importantly, that includes making sure that the staff at the practice are up-to-date, too! These are three basic prevention methods for staff to know:   

• Learn to recognize suspicious emails and websites. Training staff on this will go a long way towards preventing phishing attacks in particular. Dental staff should be taught how to spot these threats and report them right away to keep the office safe from attacks.
• Use strong passwords for all computers and software. Passwords should be hard to guess, using a mix of letters, numbers, and special characters. Changing passwords regularly and not sharing them with others helps reduce the risk of a data security breach.
• Keep software and systems up to date. This is crucial for preventing data security breaches. Hackers often find weaknesses in outdated software, so it’s important to install updates as soon as they become available. Using antivirus programs and regularly backing up data are also key steps in making sure patient information stays safe and secure.

Tip: To ensure ongoing training takes place, have someone — whether it be the practice owner or the office manager — own that responsibility. 

Resources From Intiveo

Digital security is something we have always taken seriously at Intiveo. Our platform has achieved SOC 2 compliance through a SOC 2 Type 1 security audit. Here are some resources to support your practice in maintaining robust data security:

The Basics of Digital Dental Security: In this podcast,Intiveo’s CTO, Owen Ingraham, and CCO, Nathan DeVries, discuss how dental and oral surgery practices can stay up to speed with security compliance and best practices.

Digital Security Basics for Dental Practices: This guide offers insights on how to recognize phishing and malware, text and email best practices and what Canadian dental practices need to know about Law 25.

HIPAA for Dental Practices: The Basics: This blog takes you through the basics of HIPAA and remaining compliant.

How Setting Goals Can Enhance Dental Cyber Security: In this blog, we discuss how team goals can help you maintain data security at your practice. 

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