Looking to Secure Your Dental Practice? – Here’s Step 1


October 19, 2024
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Anne Genge

Anne is a Certified Information Privacy Professional with the IAPP, holds a Certificate in AI & Law from Queens University, and has multiple certifications in healthcare cybersecurity.

Looking to Secure Your Dental Practice? – Here’s Step 1

Hackers Attack Every 39 Seconds and let’s face it: cybercriminals are targeting small healthcare practices. The first half of 2022 saw 337 healthcare breaches which affected 19,992,810 individuals. You might think, “I’m just a small clinic—why would anyone come after me?” The truth is, hackers know dental practices often have limited resources dedicated to cybersecurity, making them an easy target. In fact, a recent study by Accenture shows that 43% of cyberattacks target small businesses, and healthcare is one of the most attacked industries.

As a dentist, you focus on patient care and keeping your practice running smoothly, but with cyberattacks on the rise, you need to be thinking about how to protect your patient data. One of the easiest and most affordable ways to do that? Training your team.

Why Hackers Love Dental Practices

Your practice holds a treasure trove of sensitive information—patient health records, insurance details, payment info—all the stuff that cybercriminals love to get their hands on for extortion, identity theft, to sell on the dark web, and more nefarious things. Hackers know that many dental practices don’t have the same security measures as large hospitals, making you an easier target.

Common attack methods like phishing emails and ransomware are used to exploit these vulnerabilities. All it takes is one click on a fake email link, and your entire system could be locked down, forcing you to pay a ransom or, worse, lose patient data forever.

In fact, 60% of small businesses close within six months of a cyberattack due to the financial damage caused by a breach. For dental practices, the average cost to recover from a cyberattack is $338,000. That’s a price no practice wants to pay.

Training shapes outcomes—done well, it protects; left undone, it exposes.

– Anne Genge BA, CIPP/C, CHCSP, CHSRAS

The Affordable Big Win: Cybersecurity Training

Here’s the good news—there’s an affordable and highly effective way to protect your practice from these threats: cybersecurity awareness training for your team.

Your staff is your front line of defense. Properly trained staff can prevent up to 85% of security incidents, just by knowing how to spot the warning signs of phishing attacks, malware, and other cyber threats. And the best part? Training your team is one of the most cost-effective ways to improve your security.

Our cybersecurity training at Myla Training is specifically designed for dental practices. It’s quick, interactive, and engaging—no confusing technical jargon. In just 33 minutes, your team will have the knowledge they need to protect your practice from costly cyber threats. Plus, this training can help you qualify for cyber insurance, which is becoming a must-have in the dental industry.

What Your Team Will Learn

Here’s a sneak peek at what your team will get from our training:

  • How to recognize phishing emails before it’s too late
  • Best practices for creating strong passwords and using two-factor authentication
  • How to spot suspicious activity in your system
  • Steps to take if an attack occurs, minimizing damage to your practice
  • Basic data protection techniques that prevent ransomware attacks
  • How to handle patient data securely, following privacy laws and guidelines

The ROI: Why Training Pays Off

Investing in cybersecurity training doesn’t just protect your practice—it pays off in multiple ways:

  • Prevent costly downtime by avoiding cyberattacks. Every hour your practice is down could mean thousands of dollars lost in patient revenue.
  • Qualify for cyber insurance, which can save you from massive financial loss after a breach.
  • Boost patient trust by showing your commitment to protecting their personal data. Patients are becoming more aware of data security, and practices that prioritize it will stand out.
  • Improve team confidence—a well-trained team feels empowered to act quickly and avoid mistakes that could put your data at risk.

Real-World Example

One dental office in Ontario experienced firsthand the nightmare of ransomware. A receptionist unknowingly clicked on a phishing email, and the practice’s entire system was locked down. They were unable to access patient files for three days, losing revenue and facing the embarrassment of having to tell patients their data was at risk. The office ended up paying the ransom because their backup system failed. This office now implements annual security awareness training and feels much more confident that they can prevent another disaster.

So, Start Step 1!

If you’re looking to secure your dental practice from cyber threats, step 1 is training your team. It’s that simple. Training is an affordable and effective way to protect your practice, your patients, and your revenue.

You don’t want to wait until after you’ve been hacked to take action. Start today by getting your team the cybersecurity knowledge they need. You can check out more details and sign up for our training here: Cybersecurity Awareness Training for Dental Practices.

Take the first step toward securing your practice. Get trained, stay safe, and focus on what you do best—caring for your patients.

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ON-DEMAND TRAINING

Cybersecurity Essentials for Dental Teams

Cybersecurity awareness training that provides dental professionals with the skills needed to prevent breaches, ransomware, and data theft at work (and at home). Get immediate access and complete training in less than 40 minutes.
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