Cybersecurity threats can pose serious risks to businesses, especially those in healthcare. As we move towards a digitally advanced and tech-driven world, there has been an unprecedented increase in cyber attacks. These threats target vulnerabilities within our core IT infrastructure and gain unauthorized access to important information. 

Businesses across the globe are struggling to deal with such threats, and as we move toward 2023, there needs to be a solid implementation of robust mechanisms that prevent such attacks. 

As a business owner, especially for dental practitioners in Texas, it is important to understand the different types of cyber-attacks that can affect your ability to provide quality dental care to your patients. Therefore, cybersecurity should always be at the top of your agenda in protecting your client’s information and ensuring seamless dental operations. 

Now, new threats can evolve, and 2023 may bring new challenges from a cybersecurity perspective. Therefore, you should consider working with a top-rated dental IT service that can help you understand various cyber attacks so you implement a mechanism to counter these attacks. 

Let’s look at some common cybersecurity threats and how you can work with an external consultant, such as Foris IT Management, to deal with them. 

Malware

Even though malware is a typical cyber attack that has been making rounds for some time, it still is a vital cyber attack you should be aware of in 2023. Malware is one of the most common types of cyberattacks used to attack healthcare providers across the globe. 

As dental and health practitioners are becoming more reliant on technology to provide quality healthcare, malware poses a serious risk to the integrity of their operations. It covers a host of software that includes spyware, ransomware, and a variety of computer viruses. You can become an easy malware target if you have a weak IT infrastructure and significant vulnerabilities within your system. 

A cybersecurity policy with the help of an expert dental IT consultant can help you effectively deal with malware. Also, you need to educate your workforce on dealing with malware, especially your front office assistants who handle appointments and payments. 

If a user clicks on a malicious link, downloads an email attachment, or clicks on an ad, it downloads and installs the malware on the computer. Once installed, it can affect travel to your main server, or it may remain hidden to transfer confidential information to an external source secretly. 

Ransomware

Ransomware attacks are quite common in healthcare settings. Recently, the American Dental Association experienced a ransomware attack where unauthorized cyber criminals gained access to sensitive data stored on the ADA’s private network. 2022 looks like the worst year for ransomware attacks, and the trend is set to continue in 2023. Regardless of their industry and size, organizations across the globe have been subject to such attacks

Dental practices often don’t focus heavily on their IT infrastructure, software, and systems, making it an ideal environment for criminals and hackers to carry out ransomware attacks. When installed within your outdated infrastructure, it attacks and locks specific systems and data in your computer. 

After being attacked, you will get a message demanding a ransom to unlock your crucial data. Most of the time, you get away after paying the demanding sum, but in some instances, your data is entirely wiped out. 

A robust emergency data backup solution can potentially solve the problem, but it is more of a reactive measure than a proactive one. Therefore, you should regularly update your software and outdated systems to ensure that you are conducting your dental operations in a safe and secure environment.

Phishing

Phishing is another common cyber attack that has impacted dental practices across the world. Hackers send questionable emails with dubious links to people that look legitimate. They can portray themselves as communicating from authentic sources such as banks and other financial institutions. 

The email will contain inappropriate links that may redirect you to another website and require your personal information, such as bank details and other login credentials. Unfortunately, people who fall for this trap give such information only to see their bank accounts emptied! Therefore, educate your employees not to open such links and have a policy not to provide sensitive information without prior authorization. 

SQL Injection

SQL injection is also another type of cyber attack which is a bit complicated. It uses the SQL language to extract information from a specific database. Businesses with a weak database and security infrastructure are often easy targets for SQL injections. 

Criminals can access the system by injecting a SQL query in a data input field. If successful, they can access your website, database, network, and your whole system. They can use this code to extract critical information and perform adverse administrative actions and other harmful activities on your database. 

Dental practices are bound by HIPAA to protect sensitive client information. Any failure to do so may result in hefty fines and have legal and reputational consequences. Therefore, it is in their best interests to prevent such cyber attacks by implementing a robust cybersecurity infrastructure. 

Preventing These Cyber attacks

If you’re planning to implement a robust model to keep hackers at bay, it is important to work with a cybersecurity specialist that understands your unique needs and requirements and suggests ways to improve your IT outlook. Before creating an in-depth cybersecurity procedure with the help of a consultant, there are some specific steps you can take to ensure that your dental practice has a basic level of security. 

First, ensure all your computers and devices have robust antivirus software. Use VPN to access different websites, as it provides an added layer of security. Make sure to update all your software and systems regularly with security patches to help you deal with the latest attacks and viruses. 

Educate your employees regarding cybersecurity best practices and prevent them from opening suspicious links or emails demanding your personal information. Also, create strong passwords that are hard to guess by hackers. These passwords can be a strong combination of numbers, alphabets, and symbols. Avoid using birth dates or common names as passwords. 

Get General IT Services for Dental Practices in Texas

As mentioned above, you should always look to work with a cybersecurity expert who provides IT support to dental practices. Managed IT services for dentists allow practitioners to improve their daily operations, audit their existing processes, reduce their costs in the long run, and build a better connection with their patients. 

Foris IT Management is at the forefront of providing top-notch dental IT services to practitioners. The company is one of the best in the state, and its support team offers impeccable services for dentists across Texas. 

Texas.