Dentist speaks out after practice hit by cyber attack

A Fermanagh dentist who owns his own practice in Omagh has spoken out after his IT system fell victim to a cyber attack.

Dr. Joe McEnhill, owner of Grange Dental Care, said the breach occurred on Thursday morning and resulted in fraudulent emails being sent from the practice’s system.

“At 9.50am our computer system was hacked and people began receiving emails asking for invoices to be paid,” he explained.

The issue was identified quickly and the practice’s IT provider was contacted immediately to prevent further damage.

“Once we were alerted, we contacted our IT company, who put a halt to everything and began an investigation,” Dr. McEnhill said.

Initial findings suggest the attack originated overseas.

“What we know so far is that the hack originated in New Jersey and that certain information has been accessed,” he said. “It appears to be limited to emails only, and no sensitive data or personal information has been accessed.”

The dentist added that investigations are ongoing and that there may be a possible link to another recent cyber incident locally.

“Our step is to continue investigating what has happened. We believe there may be a link to a similar incident that occurred a couple of weeks ago at another business in Omagh, which is also being looked into further.”

Dr. McEnhill confirmed that the breach has now been contained and that the appropriate authorities will be informed.

Dr. Joe Mcenhill addresses his followers. (Image: Social Media.)

“The hack has now been stopped and we are continuing our investigation. We plan to inform the RQIA tomorrow, as well as the Information Commissioner’s Office,” he said.

Stressing that staff were not at fault, he appealed for understanding from patients and members of the public.

“We are taking this matter very seriously and understand that it is extremely frustrating,” he said. “This was carried out by a criminal individual and was not the fault of any of my amazing staff. Please be kind to them when you ring, as they are doing their very best.”

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