At the start of 2021, threat actors took advantage of coronavirus-related fears, putting other people in harm’s way for their own gain. In 2022, expect threat actors to be as brazen as ever. Here are the cybersecurity threats that individuals and organizations like yours will face this year.
To improve their operations and provide better patient experience, many dental practices in New York have leveraged IT solutions like appointment management apps, oral imaging, and automated billing systems. While such IT solutions offer plenty of benefits, they also introduce new cybersecurity concerns that dental practices must take seriously for the following reasons:
Patient records are protected under HIPAA
The Health Insurance Portability and Accountability Act (HIPAA) of 1996 safeguards a patient’s protected health information (PHI) from being disclosed without the patient’s knowledge or consent.
Ransomware threats have skyrocketed in 2021. Check Point’s Cyber Attack Trends 2021 Mid Year Report revealed that there were 93% more ransomware attacks in the first half of 2021 than in the same period last year. Just halfway through 2021, SonicWall’s Cyber Threat Report 2021 Mid-Year Update already declared the year as the worst one to date in terms of the number of recorded ransomware attempts.
No law firm in New York and beyond is completely safe from data security incidents, so it pays to be prepared for them at all times. On top of implementing measures that safeguard data and ensure business continuity, your firm can be ready for cyber incidents by investing in cybersecurity insurance.
Some of the most well-known companies in the world, including Sony Pictures, Home Depot, Adobe, and eBay, have been victims of cyberattacks. While major corporations like these are high-profile targets for hackers, small- and medium-sized businesses are not exempt from data breaches.
Jones Day, a US-based international law firm whose prominent clients included Donald Trump, was hacked in February 2021, resulting in the theft of over 100 gigabytes of data. Meanwhile, in 2020, New York-based law firm, Grubman Shire Meiselas & Sacks, was hacked in what became one of that year’s biggest cyberattacks.
Healthcare providers have recently been a major target for email scams. Between December 2020 and February 2021 alone, the number of phishing attacks targeting pharmacies and hospitals increased by a staggering 189%. Unfortunately, conventional phishing attacks aren’t your only cause for worry — your dental clinic could be at risk of falling victim to a business email compromise (BEC) scam too.
Cybercriminals are getting more creative in infecting computers with malware, and users must step up in order to protect their devices. To stay one step ahead of cybercriminals, you should learn more about their more insidious tricks such as watering hole attacks.
You’ve probably heard it said that not all hackers are dangerous. That’s true, of course. For instance, white hat hackers hack into a system to uncover vulnerabilities and boost its protection against cyberthreats. However, we won’t be talking about white hat hackers in this blog.
Popular social media platforms like Facebook and Twitter have been suffering massive data breaches for a number of years now. If you wish to continue using these services, you need to tighten your social media privacy settings. Here are a few reminders and tips to help you secure your personal information on social media.
