The 2023 September/October issue of Today’s FDA is available online for Florida Dental Association (FDA) members NOW! Check it out for great articles about how to keep your practice protected from cybersecurity threats, the importance of cyber liability insurance and more. So, what are you waiting for? Head to floridadental.org/publications or click the cover image below to read the issue.
By: Robert McDermott, President and CEO, iCoreConnect
Do you feel like you’re hearing a lot about ransomware, phishing and hacking these days? You’re not imagining an increase in these buzzwords. They’re popping everywhere: news media, compliance reports, technology and trade journals, and the list goes on. It’s important to recognize that these words are more than just the latest media buzz. They’re real threats.
Cybercrimes remain a problem for dental and medical professionals with little sign of going away anytime soon. The primary ways your practice can be compromised are through your IT infrastructure and your email. The weakest link in the chain, however, is people.
Criminals have become quite effective at using malicious email to exploit human vulnerability and gain access to protected health information (PHI). When an email comes in posing as a trusted source like a bank, an online payment site or even a social networking site, your staff needs to know what to do … and what not to do. Every day, cybercriminals successfully steal everything from patient and insurance records to passwords, social security numbers, credit card information and account numbers. These kinds of attacks are called “phishing.” They are designed to get you to click a link, call a number or respond with personal information.
Educate your staff on what to look for in a phishing attack. The Federal Trade Commission’s Consumer Division explains that phishing emails and text messages often tell a story to trick you into clicking on a link or opening an attachment. These emails may:
As a dental health provider, confirm that every email with any connection to PHI, payments, passwords or other sensitive information is being sent through a secure, HIPAA-compliant email service.
Not sure how to know? Check to make sure your secure email service uses its own private network to transmit messages, not the public internet. You also will know if your email is fully secure and compliant based on the way email communication is initiated. If your practice must initiate the first message in an email conversation, then your system is highly secure. The security key is that no one can randomly email you or your staff if you haven’t sent a secure email to them first. That eliminates phishing and hacking because cybercriminals can’t reach you. Once you have that first email interaction with another doctor, pharmacy, patient, etc., your workflow is the same as any other email.
If you are sending PHI via Google, verify you are using the paid version, Google Workspace Gmail. Even if you have some security steps in place on a non-paid Gmail address, you are most likely neither HIPAA compliant nor protecting your patient’s records. You may want to consider using Gmail, and other similar services, for sending everything that isn’t PHI or sensitive information. Secure and non-secure emails often can be accessed in the same email interface requiring only one login to access all your email accounts.
So, what happens if your email isn’t secure and someone in your office clicks a link? Well, you’ve just left the back door unlocked and let a cybercriminal sneak into your business. Once a cybercriminal gets into your system, usually without detection, they have one goal: wreak havoc to get money. They can lock up your entire records system and hold it for ransom, usually requiring payment in bitcoin. Thousands of attacks are launched every day with good success. It’s a scenario you don’t want to deal with. Fortunately, it’s also preventable.
Teach your staff or bring in an IT managed services provider (MSP) to talk with your office about the best practices to prevent phishing scams. Learn to identify a suspicious email and report it to your IT or MSP team. Most importantly, never click on buttons/links, call the listed phone number or respond to the message, especially with personal information.
Replace your current moderately secure email service with a truly secure, HIPAA-compliant email and you’ll significantly decrease the risk of your data being accessed through email.
Cybersecurity, phishing and ransomware are more than buzzwords. They represent identity theft, credit card and bank account access, and the loss of patient trust. Prevent access. Use secure email. Stay off the radar of those looking to profit off your practice. These simple steps can save you headaches and heartbreaks from having PHI stolen or captured and then paying a high ransom to get your practice up and running again.
FDA Services endorses iCoreExchange HIPAA-compliant email. iCoreExchange not only meets or exceeds every compliance and security requirement, but it also allows you to attach as many large files as you want to any single email. Speed up your workflow, protect patients and your practice. Check out this convenient and compliant service or call 888.810.7706. FDA members receive a substantial discount on iCoreExchange.
FDA Services (FDAS) has seen an alarming increase in cyberattacks on dental offices in the past few years. This year has especially had a sharp increase, which is why they’ve partnered with Coalition Insurance to bring our members cybersecurity and insurance. Even if you choose not to use Coalition Insurance as your cyber insurance provider, please make sure you have this coverage in place! They recommend, at the minimum, $250 per patient record in coverage.
Below are four cybersecurity awareness tips from our friends at Coalition:
The FDAS experienced staff is ready to get to work for you — call or text 850.681.2996 or email insurance@fdaservices.com to connect to our agents today.
By Robert McDermott, President/CEO, iCoreConnect
Just as you wash your hands regularly so you don’t get sick, it’s critical to adopt good habits of “digital hygiene” to prevent cyberattacks on your practice. The “illness” threatening your practice is called malware. Malware is an umbrella term for any malicious software criminals use to steal your or your patients’ data.
Ransomware, a particularly sinister malware, burrows into your system and begins encrypting all your data so you can’t access it. Then a cybercriminal holds your data for ransom, demanding you pay a hefty sum of money for them to give you access to your own files.
Just like a human virus sometimes can be undetected, malware can be in your computer system long before you realize it. By the time you see symptoms, it’s too late. Cybercriminals are continually developing sophisticated methods for infecting computers and servers without you catching on. There are two primary ways malware gets into your system and holds your practice ransom.
Hackers secretly tap into your data by exploiting weaknesses in your IT security. Outdated, unmaintained systems often make smaller, older practices particularly easy targets. Working with a proactive team of IT experts, known as managed IT services providers (MSP), is an important layer of defense against attacks. These folks can save you money, time and headaches over the long run. They detect threats early to eliminate or reduce damage well before it gets out of hand.
A particular vulnerability is how you are using email. Only use Gmail, Hotmail, Yahoo, etc. for personal or non-patient specific messages. For anything beyond that, set up a fully HIPAA-compliant, cloud-based email system that protects your information whether it’s sitting in your inbox or sending to another doctor’s inbox. There are big differences between an encryption-only email for general security and a truly HIPAA-compliant email fulfilling every HIPAA security requirement. These requirements range from verifying recipient identity to making sure no email is altered.
Phishing occurs when a criminal tricks any employee into thinking something is a trustworthy source, then convinces them to click a corrupt link or provide sensitive information directly (like a credit card number). The attacker is preying on a lack of awareness on the part of you or a staff member. You must educate your whole team to recognize suspicious messages, links and questions to avoid falling victim. If the sender is unknown or claims to be your IT person, MSP or someone in your office yet asks you to click an unusual link, verify the email first with the actual person on your team.
No one is inherently immune from cyberattacks. Take action now by working with a qualified dental IT services provider to assess, boost and maintain your IT immune system. Work directly with your staff to understand what to look for and how to prevent these types of criminals from getting in the door. Healing from an attack is much more difficult and costly than preventing it in the first place.
iCoreConnect, an FDA Crown Savings merchant, specializes in comprehensive software that speeds up workflow for dentists. The FDA endorses these products from iCoreConnect: iCoreExchange HIPAA-compliant email and iCoreDental cloud-based practice management. FDA members receive substantial discounts on both products. Book a demo at icoreconnect.com/fda or call 888.810.7706.
Beyond the Bite 