More than a thousand Aspen Dental offices across the United States suffered a cybersecurity attack affecting scheduling systems, phone systems, and other business applications. The company announced that it had been the target of a “cybersecurity incident,” with its website stating that the company had caught the issue early, but it still has a way to go.
The company has not yet stated whether it has restored full functionality to its systems or whether any confidential patient information had been accessed. Though offices may be open on Monday, the company has not stated if they’re operating at 100% capacity.
Some patients have expressed disappointment with the company’s response to the attack. Tonya Green had a follow-up appointment at the Summerville Aspen Dental office last Tuesday, but there was no one there, despite her having paid upfront for her services.
John Corum, who was helping his friend get care last week at the West Ashley location, says they couldn’t pay because the systems were down, and they still haven’t been able to reschedule.
Lancie Affonso, a computer science professor at the College of Charleston, says that threats of this nature, especially against healthcare systems with stored sensitive personal information, are only increasing. He stated that there is no easy solution, and it involves a lot of training and hiring the necessary cybersecurity individuals.
Still, even with the most capable professionals in-house, all it takes is one weak link, and companies should have contingency plans for when they’re threatened by cyber attacks, not if. The company has said its investigation is still in the early stages.
