Approximately 43% of cyber attacks are carried out on healthcare services like dental practices, and when they happen, there is more than just the loss of data at stake. Criminals steal patient data and sell it to be used fraudulently. They may also take company data to blackmail you. Such security breaches compromise your reputation and can cost you dearly in terms of disruption, patient lawsuits, and data recovery.
Why are dental practices at risk?
As well as storing valuable health information, dental practices and other healthcare services make a viable target for hackers because they are often small businesses. Small businesses are at particular risk because it is expected that their cyber defences will be weak, and they often are due to a lack of funding or resources. According to Accenture’s Cost of Cybercrime Study, out of the 43% of cyber attacks carried out on small businesses, only 14% have defence mechanisms in place.
What are the common threats?
Although experts work hard to defend our IT systems, cybercriminals work just as hard to find new ways to exploit any weaknesses. We’ll explain just a few of the techniques that they use.
Phishing
In 2019, around 65% of businesses were subject to phishing attacks. These involve the use of emails that trick the recipient into opening an attachment or clicking a link. Phishing emails can look so realistic that they convince people to hand over personal details like credit card numbers, pin numbers, usernames, and passwords.
Ransomware
Malicious software called ransomware is used by cybercriminals to encrypt data on your computer, preventing access. They then obtain sensitive data from your system and threaten to disclose it to the public or sell it on the dark web unless a ransom is paid.
Brute force
Criminals use algorithms or guesswork to try to break into user accounts with brute force. They blitz an account with username and password combinations until they find a match. Once in, they infect websites or disrupt operations using spyware.
Viruses
Viruses are often hidden within attachments or music and video downloads. These coded programs are able to replicate themselves and quickly spread throughout a computer, infecting files and making them inaccessible. Criminals can then use the infected system to send out phishing attacks.
How can you protect yourself?
The majority of dental practices are now digitised, and many are online. While the internet enables practices to improve care by centralising data, it leaves them vulnerable to data breaches and security threats if precautions aren’t taken.
Implement a security policy
To safeguard patient information, implement a security policy and educate your staff about how to comply with it. Cyber security services like Micromindercs can help by providing cyber security awareness training.
Update software and hardware
Dentists should keep all hardware, operating systems, and firewalls up to date so that staff don’t accidentally access potentially harmful websites when browsing the internet. Install antivirus software that will detect ransomware and notify you as soon as files start to be encrypted.
Set permissions and passwords
Ensure staff can only access the data that they need to by setting user permissions that relate to their roles. Choose strong passwords that will be difficult to guess with several levels of security, such as a combination of upper and lowercase, as well as the inclusion of symbols and numbers.
Maintain good housekeeping
When employees leave, close their inactive user accounts as part of your outboarding process. Use a cloud-based management platform that keeps a log of who accessed what data and when.
Identify weak points
Hackers access IT systems through the weakest points, so knowing what these are will enable you to strengthen them. When using penetration testing services UK, experts will carry out ethical hacking to find the areas that are most at risk.
The takeaway
Never assume that your practice is too small to be attacked by cybercriminals, as your patient data and your reputation are too valuable to put at risk. Furthermore, keep in mind that data breaches often occur as a result of employee error. Take steps to prevent user error and system infiltration and seek help from a cyber security consultancy that can provide the appropriate IT support.
OTS News on Social Media