A Maitland, Fla.-based dentist has been locked out of his accounting files due to a ransomware attack where the hackers demanded $10,000, according to clickorlando.com.
Carl Bilancione, DDS, said five-months' worth of accounting files were encrypted. A pop-up on his computer screen told him to pay $10,000 and that every 48 hours the ransom demand would double.
No patient records were affected in the ransomware attack, as Dr. Bilancione stores them on a separate and secure system.
Dr. Bilancione has declined to pay the ransom. Instead, he will pay for his accountant to restore the last five months of accounting files that were encrypted. The dentist has since added more security measures to secure files.
While its unclear how the hacker gained access to the files, Dr. Bilancione believes it was caused when a staff member opened an unknown attachment on the computer system.
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Carl Bilancione, DDS, said five-months' worth of accounting files were encrypted. A pop-up on his computer screen told him to pay $10,000 and that every 48 hours the ransom demand would double.
No patient records were affected in the ransomware attack, as Dr. Bilancione stores them on a separate and secure system.
Dr. Bilancione has declined to pay the ransom. Instead, he will pay for his accountant to restore the last five months of accounting files that were encrypted. The dentist has since added more security measures to secure files.
While its unclear how the hacker gained access to the files, Dr. Bilancione believes it was caused when a staff member opened an unknown attachment on the computer system.
More articles on dental:
ADA files complaint against SmileDirectClub with the FTC, FDA
Danaher dental sales dip 3 percent in Q2: 5 notes
6 dentists making headlines