Maitland (Fla.) Dentistry was hit by a ransomware attack on July 17 that left dentists unable to access accounting records. Now dentist Carl Bilancione, DMD, is speaking out about the incident, according to GovInfoSecurity.com.
Dr. Bilancione said the hackers demanded $10,000 for access to five months of data. He refused to pay the ransom and instead hired an accountant to restore the five months of lost data.
Since the incident, Dr. Bilancione has learned the importance of having policies in place to prepare for a cyberattack.
"Make sure your data is being backed up daily, not once a week or once a month," Dr. Bilancione told GovInfoSecurity.com. The dentist now only allows online purchasing to be done on one computer that is segregated from the practice's network.
As a small business, Dr. Bilancione said one cyberattack can wipe out his entire business. He stresses to other small business to be cautious and ready for any type of security incident.
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Dr. Bilancione said the hackers demanded $10,000 for access to five months of data. He refused to pay the ransom and instead hired an accountant to restore the five months of lost data.
Since the incident, Dr. Bilancione has learned the importance of having policies in place to prepare for a cyberattack.
"Make sure your data is being backed up daily, not once a week or once a month," Dr. Bilancione told GovInfoSecurity.com. The dentist now only allows online purchasing to be done on one computer that is segregated from the practice's network.
As a small business, Dr. Bilancione said one cyberattack can wipe out his entire business. He stresses to other small business to be cautious and ready for any type of security incident.
More articles on dental:
2 Georgia women practice unlicensed dentistry for 9 years, police allege
Patients say South Dakota dental office abruptly closed
5 dentists making headlines