Dental Office Cybersecurity Audits
In today’s connected digital world, your dental practice must be vigilant about data breaches. Here’s why your dental practice needs a cybersecurity audit.
In today’s blog post, we are going to focus in on something that is important for nearly all of our clients (and future clients). Really, it’s an area that’s crucial for anyone with a business that has a digital footprint.
We’re talking about cybersecurity. Specifically, we’re going to look at why cybersecurity audits are a crucial piece of any digital security strategy. We’ll do this in the context of dental offices, though the principles we discuss today are relevant in just about any industry.
Cybersecurity Audits for Dental Offices
In today’s connected digital world, anyone running a dental practice is sure to have a digital footprint of some kind. You likely have a website, and you’re using computers and electronic records manage the details and data necessary to run your practice.
Here’s the key thing to know: any entity that stores potentially valuable information can be a target for cyber theft and digital intrusion. Simply put, if you’ve got the goods, you’re a target.
When it comes to the types of data identity thieves are after, medical practices of any sort are a veritable treasure trove. Medical and dental practices have on file patients’ medical records, which paints a descriptive picture the individuals described.
Not only that, practices typically record patients’ Social Security numbers in multiple places on multiple forms. If your practice handles its own billing, you may even have financial information stored on those same individuals.
The combination of personally identifiable information, including the social security number, and financial information is pretty much the identity theft jackpot.
What Is a Cybersecurity Audit?
Simply put, a cybersecurity audit is the process of having an outside firm like us test the security of your dental office’s digital systems. Just like a financial audit involves a third party probing and evaluating a company’s financial health, a cybersecurity audit probes a company’s digital health and security.
This can take on a number of forms, of course, but it will always include penetration testing and ethical or white-hat hacking. Below are two of the major areas that we at Veltec Networks focus on when conducting a cybersecurity audit.
Penetration Testing and Ethical Hacking
What we look for when performing a cybersecurity audit are the sorts of vulnerabilities that bad actors – black hat hackers – are looking for themselves. We’ll attempt to penetrate your network just like they do.
The difference is that if we successfully break-in, we don’t steal your data or do any damage. Instead, we show you how we gained access to your system and work with you to fix the vulnerability.
Network and Wireless Security
We’ll also evaluate your basic network infrastructure and set up systems that include the latest, most comprehensive security possible. First, we’ll ensure that your network uses strong, commercial-grade firewalls to prevent intruders from accessing your systems.
Second, since wireless access is a common method of breaching networks, we’ll set up your wireless network in a highly secure manner, preventing strangers and criminals from accessing your systems this way.
Why Cybersecurity Audits Matter for Dental Offices
We’ve already described some of why cybersecurity audits matter for dental practices, but there are a few additional reasons worth considering. One of these is HIPAA, the privacy guidelines that govern medical and dental practices.
Why is HIPAA relevant here? In any other business, a data breach is a significant issue and a major black eye to a company’s reputation. In the medical community, though, a data breach usually involves HIPAA violations, and HIPAA violations can lead to serious monetary fines.
Of course, even beyond the HIPAA concerns, losing your clients’ personal information on its own can be a pretty big blow to your company. It sends a message that you aren’t as serious as you need to be in this area, and patients may begin to wonder what other areas are slipping.
There are other concerns, too, like phishing schemes being perpetrated using your systems or database and vulnerability to ransomware attacks. These can occur in just about any industry, including a dental practice.
Wrapping Up
Now that you know why cybersecurity audits are so important for dental offices, it’s time to take action. If your Bay Area dental office is in need of a cybersecurity audit, Veltec Networks can help. We have helped hundreds of Bay Area clients with a wide range of IT support needs including cybersecurity audits. We can help you, too. Contact us today to get started.
