News Insights: Ransomware hits hundreds of dentist offices in the US | ZDNet

Ransomware hits hundreds of dentist offices in the US | ZDNet

Ransomware group gains access to dental software backend, deploys ransomware on customers’ systems.

FULL ARTICLE: Ransomware hits hundreds of dentist offices in the US | ZDNet

Hundreds of dentist’s offices have been attacked by ransomware this week as a result of software providers Digital Dental Record and PerCSoft, two Wisconsin-based companies who collaborated on DDS Safe a dental records and patient information back-up and security organization.

An expert with the Shared Assessments Program, the member-driven leaders in third party risk management, offers perspective. According to Tom Garrubba, Vice President and CISO, Shared Assessments, “Dental offices that file claims, verify eligibility, or make digital treatment authorizations are operating under the HIPAA regulation and must ensure they have appropriate security and privacy practices in place. There is a perception that dental practices have been flying under the OCR’s radar (the Office of Civil Rights investigates HIPAA violations) for years and this announcement may bring this under renewed scrutiny. As more private dental practitioners migrate to larger managed organizations, emphasis on adequate enterprise-wide security and privacy practices should be top-of-mind for their senior leadership.”