05/31/2024
FBI Warns of Cybersecurity Threat to Dental Practices
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The FBI are urging all dental practitioners to stay vigilant and be prepared in the event where their practice may fall victim to a cyberattack.
This comes after an advisory from the Federal Bureau of Investigation (FBI) was put to The American Dental Association (ADA) and the American Association of Oral and Maxillofacial Surgeons (AAOMS), warning them of an emerging and credible cybersecurity threat to dental health providers.
This information was released to the ADA and AAOMS on Tuesday May 6th 2024; it is reported by the FBI that βas of that date there were no known cyberattack victimsβ.
Though oral and maxillofacial surgery practices are noted as being particularly vulnerable to targeted attacks from cybercriminals, the FBI have expressed concerns that general dentistry practices and other dental specialists may also be targeted.
This threat puts a spotlight on the importance of cybersecurity for the healthcare sector, given that the outcome of these attacks are
β The breach of patient confidentiality and data privacy
β The compromising of patient safety and availability of healthcare services
These cyberattacks come in the form of social engineering scams, typically used to obtain confidential patient data which threaten the integrity of healthcare practices.
There are precautions which can be taken to safeguard your practice when it comes to these threats and the Cybersecurity & Infrastructure Security Agency (CISA) have recommended the following:
βοΈ Inform your staff of social engineering scams and teach them how best to avoid it
βοΈ Enforce the use of strong passwords
βοΈ Implement MFA (multi-factor authentication) which uses layered-security protection when logging into practice systems
βοΈ Ensure that any software used by your practice is regularly updated
π If you are concerned about this cybersecurity threat and want to find out how Forbes IT can help you and your dental practice, speak to one of our agents now!