What to Do if Your Dental Practice is Hacked

What to Do if Your Dental Practice is Hacked

A Step-by-Step Guide

Gary Salman

CYBERATTACKS are no longer a rare occurrence—they’re part of the reality of running any business that handles sensitive data, including dental practices. If your practice falls victim to a hacker, the situation can be overwhelming, but how you respond in those critical hours and days can make all the difference. This guide will help you understand the immediate steps to take after a breach, your legal obligations as a healthcare provider and how to recover while building a stronger defense for the future.

Step 1. Act Quickly to Contain the Damage

The moment you suspect your dental practice has been hacked; time is of the essence. Quick action can help limit the scope of the breach and prevent further harm. Follow these steps immediately:

• Disconnect from Your Network: If your system has been attacked, disconnect compromised computers and devices from the internet. This prevents the hackers from continuing their access and spreading malware across your network.

• Do Not Turn Off Affected Systems: While it may seem instinctive to shut everything down, don’t do so. Shutoffs can overwrite important forensic data that may help identify how the breach happened.

• Contact IT and Cybersecurity Professionals: Alert your IT provider and a dedicated cybersecurity partner right away. IT specialists can focus on stopping the disruption, while cybersecurity experts use advanced tools to investigate the breach, assess damage and secure your systems.

• Notify Your Cybersecurity Liability Insurance Provider: Report the incident to your cyber insurance provider to ensure compliance with your coverage terms and receive guidance on the necessary next steps. If you do not have cyber insurance, consult a law firm specializing in data privacy and is well-versed in both New York State and federal regulations.

• Check Backup Integrity: Immediately verify whether your data backups are safe. Many hackers target and encrypt backups, so understanding their status is critical. If they are intact, avoid connecting them to your live system until further review by a cybersecurity team.

Step 2. Protect Patient Data and Assess the Breach

Dental practices are custodians of highly sensitive patient information, and any data breach creates both ethical and legal concerns. At this stage, you must determine the scale of the breach to understand what data was stolen and who has been affected.

• Conduct a Forensic Investigation: A cybersecurity specialist will perform a thorough investigation to uncover how the breach occurred, which systems were accessed and whether patient data was exposed. This step is vital not only for mitigation but also for compliance with legal reporting requirements.

• Identify Compromised Data: If patient data—such as Social Security numbers, medical histories, insurance details or financial data—was accessed, it’s your responsibility to document exactly what has been compromised. This detailed assessment will allow you to notify the appropriate parties accurately.

• Secure Unaffected Systems: Any systems or network segments that weren’t breached should be further isolated and closely monitored to ensure they remain safe. Cybersecurity tools can scan your environment for vulnerabilities and patch weak points immediately.

Step 3. Notify the Necessary Parties

If patient data is compromised, you are legally obligated to inform the affected individuals, as well as government authorities. Failure to comply could result in legal penalties and reputational damage.

• HIPAA Breach Notification Rules: The Health Insurance Portability and Accountability Act (HIPAA) requires covered entities like dental practices to notify affected individuals if their protected health information (PHI) is stolen. You must:

• Provide written notice to impacted patients within 60 days of discovering the breach.

• Include details on what happened, the data compromised and what steps patients can take to protect themselves.

• If the breach affects more than 500 individuals, you must also notify the Department of Health and Human Services (HHS) and local media outlets. Breaches involving fewer than 500 individuals still require reporting to HHS within an annual submission window.

• Work With Legal Counsel or a HIPAA Consultant: Because breach notification laws can be complex and vary by state, it’s essential to involve legal experts who understand regulatory compliance to guide your communication plan.

• Communicate Thoughtfully: Always be transparent but professional with your patients. Reassure them of your commitment to resolving the situation and safeguarding their data moving forward.

Step 4. Respond to Financial and Reputational Damage

Beyond the immediate technical and legal response, a cybersecurity breach can impact your practice in several ways. Patient trust can waver; operations may grind to a halt; and financial losses—ransom payments, recovery costs and potential lawsuits—can escalate. Here’s how to mitigate the damage:

• Engage Your Cyber Insurance Provider: If you carry cybersecurity insurance, notify your provider right away. Your policy may cover the costs of breach response, legal fees and even patient credit monitoring services.

• Offer Identity Theft Protection: To rebuild trust, consider offering free identity theft monitoring services to affected patients. This proactive measure demonstrates your commitment to their safety and security.

• Handle Public Relations Carefully: A breach can damage your practice’s reputation if not managed properly. Work with public relations professionals to craft clear and reassuring messages for your patients and the community. Avoid assigning blame and focus on steps you’re taking to correct the issue and prevent future incidents.

Step 5. Audit, Learn and Strengthen Your Defenses

Recovering from a cyberattack is more than just returning to business as usual—it’s an opportunity to learn from the breach and build a more resilient practice.

• Review and Revise Your Cybersecurity Policies: Evaluate which vulnerabilities led to the breach and update your practice’s security protocols accordingly. This could involve implementing stricter firewall rules, enforcing stronger passwords or switching to more secure practice management software.

• Train Your Staff: Human error remains a leading cause of cyberattacks. Conduct mandatory cybersecurity training for your team, covering topics like phishing email identification, password hygiene and safe internet use. Training should be continuous and tailored to the threats specific to healthcare.

• Partner With a Dedicated Cybersecurity Firm: The complexity of modern hacking techniques requires expertise that goes beyond typical IT support. Invest in an ongoing partnership with a cybersecurity company to monitor your network for threats, perform regular vulnerability scans and maintain a strong recovery plan.

• Create or Update Your Incident Response Plan: Your dental practice should have a documented incident response (IR) plan in place, outlining exactly what to do during a cyberattack. If you already have one, review the lessons learned during this breach to improve it. Make sure all staff members understand their roles and responsibilities in the event of a future incident.

Remember, Prevention Is the Best Cure

While it’s critical to know how to respond to a cyberattack, prevention should always be your top priority. Regular software updates, multi-factor authentication, daily vulnerability scanning and phishing simulations are just a few steps that can help safeguard your practice. Having both an IT services team and a cybersecurity partner ensures you’re fully protected from all angles.

The reality is that dental practices will continue to face cyber threats due to the valuable data they store. But preparing for the possibility of an attack—and knowing how to respond if one occurs—can minimize the damage and keep your patients’ trust intact. By acting quickly, fulfilling your legal obligations and building a stronger foundation, your dental practice can emerge from a cyberattack more secure than before.

Gary Salman is CEO and cofounder of Black Talon Security (www.blacktalonsecurity.com). A leader in the cybersecurity field, Gary has a 25-plus year background in law enforcement and healthcare technology. His firm monitors and secures approximately 50K computers and networks worldwide and has trained tens of thousands of dental and other healthcare professionals.