Cybersecurity Awareness is Everyone’s Job

By Nic Cofield

Many of us may have structured platforms that help educate staff on cybersecurity threats, but have you ever considered how you - as a leader in the practice - can affect security awareness? Simple communication from practice leadership can have a significant impact on the overall readiness related to a cyber-attack.

Here is an example of a piece of communication the practice administrator or managing physician can send to staff. You’re welcome to use this template, edit it to fit your specific practice, and share with your team:

Cybersecurity Reminders

We want to take a moment to remind everyone that it is important to be careful when using practice technology. Cybersecurity threats are serious, and we are all responsible for the protection of our patients’ data and our critical IT assets.

As a reminder:

Be vigilant when checking e-mail; never click on a link or open an attachment from an unrecognized sender.
Never give your network/e-mail/EMR credentials to any unauthorized person(s). This information is highly sensitive and should be kept strictly confidential.
If you receive an e-mail from someone you know or someone else at the practice that asks you to perform a task or provide information that is out of character or unusual, please report the message to IT.
If you have been provided with any practice-owned device, such as a laptop or mobile device, use all means to protect and safeguard access to this device. Should a device be lost or stolen, please report the situation immediately to IT.
If you notice any suspicious activity (locked accounts, strange file names, unusual pop-up windows), please report this to IT immediately.

We count on you to help us protect our critical data and prevent a cyber-attack. Thank you for your help in this matter

Remember, security awareness never stops.