Cybersecurity is one of the biggest challenges of the 21st century. Cybercrime affects multinational corporations, small businesses like dental offices, and individuals. Technology is essential to our lives, so cybersecurity matters to ALL of us!
Cybersecurity Awareness Month aims to raise awareness and empower individuals, teams, and businesses to protect and safeguard patient and employee data and consider broader implications.
Each of us with an email address is a potential target for cybercrime. With over 12 billion records already for sale on the dark web, statistically speaking, each of us has been breached. At best, we might only be targets for phishing emails, or, more seriously, we may have our identities stolen, our accounts hacked, or, worse, by cybercriminals.
In dental practices, the stakes are even higher. A data breach or ransomware could lead to the loss of patient trust, legal ramifications, or even the closure of a practice if all the data is lost. Our technology to manage appointments, track patient history, and communicate with team members is not immune to threats.
The days of worrying about physical theft from our businesses have been replaced by the looming “invisible” threat of cyberattacks mainly because they are misunderstood or people have misconceptions. Cybersecurity is not a one-off task; instead, it’s an ongoing responsibility.
From strong passwords to regular system updates and continuous education on the latest threats, it’s essential to create a culture of cybersecurity in our practices. In my experience, our trusted teams are the key to locking down these threats. Cybersecurity technology alone cannot stop cyber criminals who have become master storytellers and manipulators, tricking people into “opening the door” to healthcare networks. Statistics confirm that up to 82% of successful breaches are attributable to human error.1
Additionally, my experience performing security risk assessments for over 15 years in healthcare has revealed that 73%2 of IT companies are not up to date with security best practices, privacy laws, and college guidelines. Unfortunately, like other countries, Canada is suffering from an extreme shortage of cybersecurity professionals to help secure the industry.
However, it’s not all doom and gloom. The solution lies in education and opening our minds to learning new ways and things to navigate this new time. With some vigilance and effort, we can turn this challenging issue into an opportunity to enhance professionalism, create a competitive advantage, and protect the interests of our patients and our practice.
Let’s make cybersecurity awareness month as a permanent fixture in our dental practices. Patient and practice safety and well-being include the safety of personal health and practice information.
References
- Verizon 2023 Data Breach Investigation Report https://www.verizon.com/business/resources/reports/dbir/
- Alexio Corporation Anonymized Internal Data 2023
About the Author
Anne Genge, Certified Information Privacy Professional, Certified Healthcare Cybersecurity Professional, Certified Healthcare Security Risk Assessment Specialist. Anne is the founder of Myla Training Co., Canada’s first-ever online privacy and cybersecurity training platform for dental professionals. With over two decades of experience, Anne has become a leading expert and trainer in this field. Anne collaborates closely with practice owners, managers, dental teams, and IT providers to ensure the safety of patients and practice data while enabling compliance with privacy regulations. Anne can be reached at anne@myla.training or call 877-363-9229 x702.
