A Toothache Beyond Repair
Hackers have used the very software that hundreds of dentists relied on to run their business, to bring it to their knees. A ransomware attack is responsible for shutting down computers at roughly 400 dental offices all over the U.S. The Digital Dental Record and Wisconsin-based cloud services provider, PerCSoft collaborated on DDS Safe, which was used by US-based dental practice offices in the US for medical record retention and backup. Cybercriminals deployed REvil (Sodinokibi) ransomware via this application to demand monies and regain access to their files.
As of today, we know that some companies did opt to pay the ransom while others wait for a decrypter to recover their encrypted files. The process has been slow, and some offices are finding it isn’t working at all.
REvil (Sodinokibi) ransomware is one of the most active and widespread ransomware strains seen this year, and this is the second time it has happened this summer. Earlier in June, a group yet to be named, was breached using the same strain.
Follow Up
While Digital Dental Record learned of the breach on August 26th, and immediate action was taken, even a quick response couldn’t save the offices that were already infected.
This means that those offices are unable to run effectively while this situation is remedied, and some may run the risk of never fully recovering.
The Wisconsin Dental Association issued a statement confirming that DDS Safe remains a “WDA endorsed product” and that they are aware of the breach.
This likely isn’t the last story we’ll hear about a medical breach this week. Numbers continue to rise, including the risk percentage that all providers face. We must continue to educate ourselves on how to be proactive and not reactive as cybercrime is now an ongoing occurrence.
And above all, we need to acknowledge that even our best efforts do not remove the risk of others being less diligent in their practice of cybersecurity.
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