Dental practices have rapidly digitized nearly every aspect of patient engagement. Appointment reminders, intake forms, insurance correspondence, billing notices, lab coordination, and vendor communications now flow primarily through email. This change has improved productivity and patient convenience, but it has also brought new risks.
According to data from the VIPRE Email Threat Trends Report, email-based cyberattacks targeting small- to midsize healthcare organizations are increasing in both volume and sophistication. Dental practices remain desirable targets because they are careless and because their business conditions closely align with what threat actors seek, including sensitive data, predictable workflows, and limited internal security resources.
For cybercriminals, dental practices increasingly represent a high-value opportunity with relatively low resistance.
How dental workflows create opportunity for attackers
Usman Choudhary.
Threat actors do not attack at random. They study how businesses operate and how they exploit moments when speed and trust matter most. Dental practices are particularly vulnerable because email plays such a central role during routine activities.
Front-desk staff process appointment confirmations and schedule changes throughout the day, frequently responding to patients between check-ins. Billing teams handle insurance claims, explanations of benefits, and payment-related correspondence. Office managers interact with vendors, suppliers, and labs, often receiving invoices or shipping notifications. These workflows are routine, repetitive, and time-sensitive -- precisely the conditions attackers exploit.
Modern phishing emails no longer rely on obvious errors or suspicious language. Instead, they mimic real patient inquiries, insurance notices, or vendor communications. Attachments may appear to be intake forms or claim documents. Links may direct users to login pages that closely resemble legitimate portals. The goal is not to alarm the recipient, but to blend effortlessly into the daily bustle of a dental office.
When staff are juggling patients, phones, and administrative tasks, even a momentary lapse can lead to credential theft or the execution of malware.
The email threats dental practices face
VIPRE data show that email attacks aimed at healthcare organizations are becoming more targeted and context-aware. Credential phishing remains one of the most common tactics, with attackers attempting to harvest email and practice management system logins. Once compromised, these accounts can be used to access patient records, redirect billing communications, or launch further attacks internally.
Malicious attachments are also on the rise, particularly PDF files and compressed archives that appear harmless and often bypass basic filtering tools. Business email compromise attempts increasingly target payment workflows, impersonating vendors or internal staff to request urgent transfers or account changes.
Another growing concern is thread hijacking, in which attackers gain access to a legitimate email account and reply to existing conversations. Because the message appears in an ongoing thread, recipients are far more likely to trust it, making detection difficult without sophisticated oversight or strong internal verification practices.
These attacks pose a particular danger to dental practices because of their precision. Cybercriminals have moved away from widespread, general campaigns and now craft messages specifically for the roles and responsibilities of staff within a practice.
Why dental practices are seen as 'high value, low resistance'
Dental practices handle a rich mix of sensitive information, including protected health information, insurance information, and payment data. Even a single compromised email account can expose years of patient records or provide access to connected systems.
At the same time, many practices operate with lean teams and limited information technology support. Cybersecurity is often one of many responsibilities for office managers or outsourced providers. Budgets are tighter than those of large hospital systems, and security investments must compete with clinical equipment, staffing needs, and patient care priorities.
Attackers understand these constraints. They know that dental practices rely heavily on email, that staff are overextended, and official security training may be infrequent or compliance-focused. Dental practices are attractive targets because they are valuable enough to attack, yet they often lack the layered defenses found in larger organizations.
Strengthening email security without disrupting care
Improving email security in a dental practice does not require dramatic changes or significant operational disruption. In fact, the most effective improvements tend to correspond closely with how staff already work.
First, practices should ensure that email security tools are designed to detect modern threats, not just spam or known malware. Credential phishing, impersonation attempts, and malicious attachments require more sophisticated identification methods that account for context and behavior, not just signatures.
Second, practices benefit from reducing their use of email for sensitive actions whenever possible. Requests involving payment changes, credential updates, or patient data transfers need to comply with clearly defined confirmation processes. Even a brief pause-and-confirm process can avoid expensive mistakes.
Training also plays a central role, but it must reflect reality. Annual compliance modules are unlikely to change behavior. Staff respond better to short, role-relevant training that resembles the emails they actually see. When front-desk teams practice identifying fake appointment requests or billing staff rehearse spotting fraudulent insurance communications, learning becomes practical rather than abstract.
Equally important is culture. Employees should feel backed, not blamed, when reporting suspicious messages. Near misses, in which a phishing attack is identified before harm occurs, provide essential insights into attacker tactics and internal vulnerabilities. Reviewing these incidents helps practices improve both defenses and training over time.
Email security as a matter of patient trust
For dental practices, cybersecurity incidents extend beyond purely technical inconvenience. For example, a breach can expose sensitive patient information, interrupt scheduling systems, delay care, and damage patient trust.
Dental practices must adapt their defenses as email-based attacks become more sophisticated. The threat landscape is constantly advancing, with attackers using automation and AI to refine their methods. Despite this evolution, email remains a manageable entry point for cyber risk, provided organizations implement a realistic and multilayered defense strategy.
By coordinating technology, training, and workflows with how dental practices actually operate, practices can substantially lessen their exposure without sacrificing efficiency or patient experience. Proactive investment in email security today can prevent far more costly consequences tomorrow.
Usman Choudhary is the general manager of the VIPRE Security Group. With contributions to several patented innovations in the early stages of the security space, he was instrumental in influencing the evolution of mission-critical cyberdefense programs for the U.S. Navy (Prometheus) and other government agencies and security programs at Microsoft and other large enterprises. Before joining VIPRE, Usman held several product leadership roles at NetIQ, Novell, and eSecurity. He previously served 10 years in technology innovation for the global brokerage industry. Usman received the distinguished U.S. President's Call to Service Award in 2013.
The comments and observations expressed herein do not necessarily reflect the opinions of DrBicuspid.com, nor should they be construed as an endorsement or admonishment of any particular idea, vendor, or organization.
