945: The Cybersecurity Checklist Every Dentist Needs – Travis Wentworth

Most days, we are online. But how often do we think about cybersecurity? In this episode, Kirk Behrendt brings in Travis Wentworth, cybersecurity expert from Intelligence Quest, to share the safeguards to put in place to reduce your risks and protect your patients and practice from common cybersecurity threats. Don't take cybersecurity for granted! To learn the best practices to stay ahead of cyberattacks, listen to Episode 945 of The Best Practices Show!

Learn More About Travis:

• Follow Travis on Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/travis_iq
• Join Travis on Twitter: https://x.com/travisiq
• Learn more about Intelligence Quest: https://intelligencequest.com
• Watch Intelligence Quest on YouTube: https://www.youtube.com/@intelligencequest

More Helpful Links for a Better Practice & a Better Life:

• Subscribe to The Best Practices Show: https://the-best-practices-show.captivate.fm/listen
• Join The Best Practices Association: https://www.actdental.com/bpa
• Download ACT’s BPA app on the Apple App Store: https://apps.apple.com/us/app/best-practices-association/id6738960360
• Download ACT’s BPA app on the Google Play Store: https://play.google.com/store/apps/details?id=com.actdental.join&hl=en_US
• Join ACT’s To The Top Study Club: https://www.actdental.com/ttt
• Get The Best Practices Magazine for free: https://www.actdental.com/magazine
• Please leave us a review on the podcast: https://podcasts.apple.com/us/podcast/the-best-practices-show-with-kirk-behrendt/id1223838218

Episode Resources:

• Watch the video version of Episode 945: https://www.youtube.com/@actdental/videos
• Protect yourself with Sentinel One: https://www.sentinelone.com
• Protect yourself with Splashtop: https://www.splashtop.com
• Protect yourself with YubiKey: https://www.yubico.com
• Protect yourself with LastPass: https://www.lastpass.com

Main Takeaways:

• Don't be complacent with cybersecurity.
• Find a great, trustworthy IT group to work with.
• Know the questions to ask your managed service provider.
• Never panic when cybersecurity issues arise. Have protocols in place.
• Make sure your team is comfortable coming to you with questions or issues.
• Be diligent with knowledge transfer, password management, and phishing awareness.
• Use a guest network for all of your patients. Don't allow non-authenticated users access.

Snippets:

0:00 Introduction.

0:53 Travis’s background.

2:17 The current state of cybersecurity.

5:17 Cybersecurity insurance and the evolution of technology in the dental space.

6:54 Managed service providers, explained.

8:07 Questions to ask your managed service providers.

11:19 What an IT group does for a dental office.

13:33 Cybersecurity best practices: Knowledge transfer.

16:50 Cybersecurity best practices: Password management.

21:54 Cybersecurity best practices: Phishing awareness.

24:56 Set checks and balances and policies in place.

26:51 Your team should be comfortable coming to you with questions.

29:16 Be wary of using direct payment options.

30:54 Solutions: Guest networks and segmentation.

39:19 Solutions: Resolving technical and cybersecurity issues.

42:41 Final thoughts.

45:20 More about Intelligence Quest and how to get in touch with Travis.

Travis Wentworth Bio:

Dr. Travis Wentworth has been training students in engineering, networking, and cybersecurity for over a decade. He received his PhD in engineering from the University of Kansas in 2015 and completed a Postdoctoral Research fellowship at the University of Chalmers in Gothenburg, Sweden. While there, he was part of the world-renowned research group led by Dr. Louise Olsson and had the privilege to work with the European Union, Swedish Research Council, Volvo, and Chalmers University.

As a researcher, instructor, and consultant, Travis has presented his technical content to far-reaching corners of the globe including China, Germany, and Sweden, to name a few. Returning to the United States in 2017, he narrowed his emphasis to cybersecurity and networking training.

Travis has a diverse background with a proclivity in the acquisition and analysis of public and proprietary data. He is a published author in numerous peer-reviewed journals for computer modeling and catalysis and is well-versed in programming, networking, data acquisition, and cybersecurity.