The Only Thing More Painful Than a Root Canal is a Cyberattack on Your Practice

Jun 07, 2023

This Root Canal Appreciation Day, ESET wants Canadian dentists to strengthen their cybersecurity

Today is Root Canal Appreciation Day – while we can't imagine appreciating something that can be so unpleasant, as a Cybersecurity firm what we can praise is taking preventive actions to avoid something truly painful.

Dentistry, along with other medical practices, are undergoing a digital transformation. Dentists use technology to create a better patient experience and more efficient.

Cyber criminals don't need a whole lot of information to ruin a practice's good name. One good look at a patient list and a hacker has access to names, addresses, and birthdays. With even this most basic information, data that is left unprotective leaves patients vulnerable to identity theft, burglaries, stalkers and more. Also, if scammers learn the names of those who receive medical treatment at your practice, they could attempt to obtain client insurance information. This information could then be sold to someone who lacks health insurance, who would then pose as a client to obtain treatment.

The potential risks are endless and that is why, as you tell your own patients, prevention is key.

Instead of regular flossing, brushing and maybe a little mouthwash, Tony Anscombe, Chief Security Evangelist with ESET, has a few tips to share that can help protect your practice and digitally secure it from cyber hacks today:

Tony's final thoughts on the topic are to share what you know with others in the industry: "No industry is immune to a data breach or ransomware attack. Dental practices that leave data unprotected can expose overall health issues of patients, not to mention the payment, insurance, and personal information dentists collect from their patients, as well as employee information." He continues, "Do your patients a favour and protect their data like you tell them to diligently take care of their teeth – they will thank you!"

For more security tips, please visit welivesecurity.com.