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The names and addresses of hundreds of islanders may have been compromised after a Jersey dental clinic fell victim to a ransomware cyber attack.
Ransomware attacks usually involve a malicious third-party preventing individuals or businesses from accessing their own digital information before offering to return it – at a cost.
If a victim does not comply with the request, hackers sometimes threaten to delete the data or corrupt systems.
The St Helier-based Cosmetic Dental Group said they detected the breach on Monday 19 August, the day after the attack.
The practice is currently investigating the incident and says it has implemented increased cybersecurity measures to prevent such attacks from happening again.
Pictured: A copy of the communication sent out to patients last week.
In an email to patients, the dental group confirmed that attackers were unable to access dental software containing patients' personal and medical records.
However, the hackers did gain access to documents including referral letters and treatment reports.
In the email, Cosmetic Dental Group said: "We do not hold any data relating to your banking passwords or financial information, so the attackers have not been able to access this information.
"We have already taken steps to prevent this from happening again by securing our systems, including increasing our cybersecurity measures."
Pictured: Ransomware is a form of malicious software or malware that secretly installs itself on a user’s computer before blocking access to files and threatening to delete them unless a ransom is paid within a time limit.
The practice is currently investigating the incident and has already implemented increased cyber security measures.
Contacted by Express, the Jersey Office of the Information Commissioner also confirmed they are looking into the incident.
A spokesperson from the data protection authority added: "We are currently looking into the incident, and we are working with them to offer any guidance they need to ensure compliance with the Data Protection (Jersey) Law 2018."
The Cosmetic Dental Group is not the only local organisation to have fallen victim to such an attack – De La Salle School was targeted back in 2022, and received help from local 'cyber firefighters' from the Jersey Cyber Security Centre to minimise the impact.
Affected patients are advised to monitor their accounts for unusual activity and report any suspicious behaviour to their bank or the Police.
For more information on how to protect your personal information, contact the Jersey Cyber Security Centre at hello@jcsc.je or visit their website.
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