Cybersecurity for Dental Practices
Keep Cybersafe With Our Cybersecurity Education and Resources
Why Dental Practices Need Security Measures
Small businesses are experiencing a surge of cyberattacks. Almost half of all cyberattacks in 2023 have targeted small businesses—and health care is the industry most at risk.
Why?
Because cyber threat actors understand that small health care businesses—like dental practices—may not have robust cybersecurity controls or training, despite the amount of confidential data they store.
Though cyberattacks are both frequent and inevitable, you can reduce risk to your practice by implementing even a few key cybersecurity controls. Check out the following tips and tools to get started and visit this page often for updated content.
Dental Practices and Cyber Threats
Cyber incidents have surged across healthcare and small businesses - like dental practices - because cyber threat actors know these targets store confidential data and often lack the tools to defend against devastating attacks.
While having technology in place to prevent attacks is important, it still has limits to its protection and isn’t a replacement for ongoing staff awareness training. Keep reading for five practical cybersecurity tips to help each person at your office become a ‘human firewall’ and minimize your risk of undesirable consequences.
Please note: The content of this page, including any training modules, is meant to provide general information about cybersecurity best practices. It is based on general industry standards and is not tailor-made to fit any one situation. It does not replace professional cybersecurity services. If you have specific questions, please contact an information technology professional.
Here Are 5 Tips That Help Protect From Cyber Risk
1. Implement Multi-Factor Authentication (MFA) wherever possible.
MFA increases security because even if one of your credentials has been compromised, unauthorized users likely won't be able to meet the second step, which will block their attempted access to the targeted computing device, network, or database.
To learn more about MFA and how to enable it on some of the more popular tools, check out these resources:
How ‘The Power of the Pause Can Help Your
Practice Avoid Phishing Attacks
Why the ‘Power of Pause’ Is Important for Your Dental Clinic
How often do you pause to analyze the emails your practice receives before clicking and acting?
According to the American Dental Association (ADA) and cybersecurity experts, phishing is the number one way cybercriminals breach dental office data and computer systems—and with the power of Artificial Intelligence, they’re becoming better at doing so.
Keep reading to expand your phishing knowledge and learn 5 simple questions worth taking the time to pause and ask.
What are Phishing Emails?
Phishing emails are fraudulent emails that look like they were sent from legitimate sources—like dental suppliers, banks, or other popular companies and services. Taking advantage of consumer trust, phishing emails aim to trick dental office staff into revealing sensitive information, such as login credentials, financial information, or patient data. They can also contain malware or ransomware that can compromise the dental office's computer system.
Analyzing an email before replying or clicking is crucial to protect yourself from various online threats, including phishing, malware, spam, identity theft, financial fraud, and more.
Power of the Pause: Top 5 Questions to Ask Before Clicking
To help avoid falling victim to phishing emails, it's essential for dental offices to be vigilant and implement robust cybersecurity measures to protect patient data and prevent cyberattacks. Before clicking a link or opening an attachment, use the ‘power of the pause’ to ask yourself these 5 questions. If you answer ‘YES’ to any, be cautious and verify the email’s authenticity before acting!
1. Implement Multi-Factor Authentication (MFA) wherever possible.
MFA increases security because even if one of your credentials has been compromised, unauthorized users likely won't be able to meet the second step, which will block their attempted access to the targeted computing device, network, or database.
To learn more about MFA and how to enable it on some of the more popular tools, check out these resources: