Dental Cybersecurity · Buffalo & Rochester
Protection against ransomware, phishing, and account takeover for dental offices in Buffalo and Rochester, built around how a dental office actually works. We put the controls in place, keep them running, and give you the documentation HIPAA expects.
Layers of Protection
Most attacks on dental offices start the same few ways. These layers close those doors, and keep your practice running if something gets through.
Stop the phishing email and the stolen password.
Every workstation and server watched and updated.
An offsite copy kept apart from the office network.
Short, regular, and specific to dental offices.
Self-Check
Before talking about tools, it helps to know where you stand. If you can't answer "yes" to a question with confidence, that's where to start.
Answer each question to see where you stand.
Most practices can answer yes to some and are unsure about the rest. That's normal, and it's fixable. A security review walks through each question for your office and gives you a prioritized list of what to fix first.
Book a Security ReviewDoes every staff email account require multi-factor authentication?
Is remote access to the office closed to the internet, except through a secure tool with multi-factor authentication?
Do you have a backup copy that someone on your network couldn't delete, even with an admin password?
Has anyone restored the practice database from backup in the last three months, and did it work?
Are all computers, including imaging PCs, on a supported version of Windows that still gets security updates?
Are Windows updates being installed, and could you prove it?
Does every computer run security software that someone is actually watching?
Does every person have their own login, with access removed the day they leave?
Has your team had security awareness training this year?
Is your HIPAA risk analysis current, and does it reflect the systems you use now?
A dental practice is an attractive target for the same reasons it is a busy business: it holds patient records with names, dates of birth, insurance details and sometimes Social Security numbers; it cannot see patients without its schedule and charts; and it usually has no full-time IT staff watching for trouble. That combination makes practices likely to pay to get running again.
Most attacks we see start the same few ways: a staff member opens a convincing email and enters a password on a fake login page, a remote access tool is left open to the internet with a weak password, or an unpatched computer is exploited. Once inside, attackers look for the server and the backups, then encrypt everything at once, often overnight or on a weekend.
We wrote about this in 7 essential ransomware protection tips for dental offices. This page covers what we actually put in place.
Email & Accounts
Email is where most attacks start, so it's where we start too.
MFA matters for insurance too. Many cyber insurance policies now ask whether it's in place before they'll cover a practice.
On email, remote access, the practice software where it supports it, and any cloud portal that holds patient data. A stolen password alone is no longer enough to get in.
Catches phishing, malicious attachments, and look-alike domains before they reach the front desk.
SPF, DKIM, and DMARC, so criminals can't easily send email that looks like it came from your practice.
For sending patient information to specialists, labs, and insurers.
So the account staff use every day can't install software or change security settings.
Endpoints
Every computer in the office, including the imaging PC in the corner that nobody logs in to, is a way in. We cover them all:
On every workstation and server, watched centrally so a Saturday night alert doesn't wait until Monday.
Windows, browsers, and common apps, with imaging and practice software updates handled carefully so they don't break clinical work.
No remote desktop open to the internet, and vendor access only through secure, logged tools.
On laptops and any computer that leaves the building.
Like old versions of Windows that no longer get security fixes, on a plan rather than in a panic.
Our general cybersecurity services page explains the layered approach we use across all clients.
Backups
Ransomware groups go after backups first, because a practice with a clean backup doesn't need to pay. Where your backup lives decides whether it survives.
On the same network
Usually encrypted along with everything else.
What we set up
Our healthcare data backups page covers the details.
People & HIPAA
Technology catches most attacks. People catch the rest.
Staff training
Short, regular security awareness training for your team, using the tricks that show up at real dental offices:
Simulated phishing, no blame. Test emails show who might need a refresher, without turning it into a blame exercise.
HIPAA Security Rule
What it requires
The evidence we keep
No recent risk assessment? Our HIPAA audit for dental practices is the place to start, and it's part of our wider dental IT support.
HIPAA audit for dentalCommon Questions
Quick answers to what dental offices ask us most about ransomware, MFA, training, and HIPAA.
Think you have ransomware?
No. Antivirus is one layer. Practices also need email filtering, multi-factor authentication, patching, a locked-down firewall, backups kept away from the office network, and trained staff.
Unplug the affected computers from the network, don't turn them off or delete anything, and call us at (716) 463-5111. Don't contact the attackers or pay before speaking to IT and your insurer.
The current HIPAA Security Rule requires reasonable safeguards based on your risk analysis rather than naming specific tools. Multi-factor authentication is one of the most effective safeguards available, and many cyber insurers now require it.
HIPAA requires security awareness training for your workforce. We recommend short sessions through the year rather than one long annual session, plus simulated phishing tests.
Yes. We can handle security alongside another provider or internal staff. See our co-managed IT page for how that works.
Schedule a free remote or on-site IT consult. Tell us about your business and the services you need – response times are typically under three hours.
