CDA Oasis Conversations: What is Ransomware and how can you protect your practice against it?
September 29, 2015
Recently, we posted a ‘nightmare’ scenario in which a dental office computer system was attacked by a virus called Ransomware.
In this video, Anne Genge, CEO and Co-founder of Healthcare Compliance Network Inc., comes back to speak about what Ransomware is and what dentists can do to avoid this virtual trap.
Related posts
- CDA Oasis Conversations: Strengthening your IT System and Complying with Privacy Laws
- Computer vulnerabilities are real and a serious threat to the livelihood of your practice!
Watch the video interview
This actually happened to us this spring. Not sure how the virus got in but it was effective. Made its way into our server and encrypted all of our digital radiography. Clicking on them brought up the ransom request. We never had any intention of paying $600 for a key. Thank goodness we backup regularly, as well as take backup hard drives off site. The scenario cost us two days worth of lost images but could have been much worse.
The solution to today’s viruses is to run your Windows in VM (virtual machine) on Linux OS
Linux is almost immune to any Viruses/Ransomwares. If something happens to Windows OS on VM just boot a backup VM. It just takes 3min to create backup VM.
One of the solutions is to run mac-based dental software. NOT parallels running Windows. Have firewalls and ensure you don’t run your guest wireless network inside your main network. Ensure your staff understands how not to open phishing emails as well!
Prevention is key. While it’s paramount to have a disaster recovery plan in place, there are 2 things you can implement to keep bad files from even reaching your network. Canadian dentists have access to two very important healthcare security tools. Email security filtering comes with at least one secure compliant email product in Canada which filters out bad attachments and protects you from inbound threats. Additionally, there is another product which incorporates a multi-layered network security to secure your practice from most other threats. Both are inexpensive and will really ‘bulletproof your practice’. Contact me if you would like more information agenge@healthcarecompliance.ca