Anniston, Ala.-based Sarrell Dental is notifying 391,472 patients that their information may have been exposed in a ransomware attack.
In July, employees discovered malware had been installed within its network. Sarrell Dental's technology staff deactivated the network immediately and consulted with a computer security firm to investigate the incident.
Sarrell Dental had to close its 15 practices for two weeks in order to rebuild its business systems. The new systems are equipped with updated security and virus protection to prevent a similar incident from happening again.
Upon investigation, Sarrell Dental did not find any evidence that files or patient information were copied, downloaded or removed from the network. However, the dental group is alerting patients as a precaution, offering those affected free credit monitoring and identity theft protection.
Patient data that may have been exposed included names, addresses, dates of birth, Social Security numbers, health insurance information and treatment information.
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In July, employees discovered malware had been installed within its network. Sarrell Dental's technology staff deactivated the network immediately and consulted with a computer security firm to investigate the incident.
Sarrell Dental had to close its 15 practices for two weeks in order to rebuild its business systems. The new systems are equipped with updated security and virus protection to prevent a similar incident from happening again.
Upon investigation, Sarrell Dental did not find any evidence that files or patient information were copied, downloaded or removed from the network. However, the dental group is alerting patients as a precaution, offering those affected free credit monitoring and identity theft protection.
Patient data that may have been exposed included names, addresses, dates of birth, Social Security numbers, health insurance information and treatment information.
More articles on dental:
HHS gives Florida health centers $4.6M for dental care
Nebraska dentists file complaint against state insurance department
Seniors prone to illness caused by poor oral hygiene