Cyber Security: The New Necessity for Dental Practices

The healthcare industry is evolving rapidly as it navigates its way around technology. To be relevant and flourish over time, a medical professional can not deny the importance of online presence, especially in dentistry. People tend to look for online reviews, addresses, websites, etc., before making an appointment with a dentist. Nowadays, many book an online consultation first before coming in for a physical examination. Additionally, with intelligent dental softwares, the administration and management of dental practice become efficient.

However, the internet has its dangerous side that makes awareness of cybersecurity essential. Many hackers and cybercriminals lurk over the internet, ready to attack a vulnerable website or data source. Usually, dentists pay no heed to cyber threats as they think they are too minuscule online to be attacked. But they are a good target for many hackers because they lack the necessary security. Here are the top reasons why cybersecurity is the new necessity for dental practices.

An Excellent Data Source

According to a survey, almost 33% of data breaches take place in the healthcare industry, which is the highest among all others. Hackers target small dental practices as they are an excellent source of information. Every dental office has hundreds of patients whose personal data is saved over a network. The information includes names, personal address, health records, e-mail Ids, phone numbers, and even banking or credit card details. Hackers use this information as currency in the dark web’s black market. Many governments have started conducting security audits to check how responsible dental offices are in protecting their patient’s privacy.

Small Dental Practices Are On Hackers Radar

Many dentists believe that their practice is too small to be attacked or targeted by hackers. In reality, cybercriminals are always on the lookout for small businesses due to various reasons. Firstly, it is improbable that there will be a well-trained employee for handling information security when it comes to independent practice. Many dental practices do not invest in firewalls and malware protection softwares that leaves their network highly vulnerable. Additionally, hackers know that small dental practices focus more on other areas than information security to gain more patients. All of these factors make small dental practices ideal for information theft by hackers.

Security Breach Leads To Massive Losses

You may think, what is there to lose even in a scenario of a cybersecurity breach? It can always be made good. This is far from reality and can lead to substantial losses. The aftermath of a cyber attack will result in financial losses and increased expenditure on recovering from a data breach. In the US, the average cost of recovery is $ 5,51,000 that can vary depending on the impact. Another significant loss that you face is a decreased reputation. Your patients will not trust your practice and even bad-mouth it due to data breach repercussions.

Conclusion

Regardless of the level of your dental practice, it is vital to invest in cybersecurity methods. The impact of a data breach is enormous and can impact your credibility in the long run. Hence, dental practices should focus more on information security in this technology-driven world for higher security.