WEST PALM BEACH, Fla. — A voice and data services company that provides phone services for hundreds of doctors and several small hospitals said there’s been an increase in online hacking in the medical field.
"It's a growing trend," David Anefils, senior solutions engineer for supportclub.com, said.
Anefils told WPTV that lately, his phones have been ringing off the hook due to an increase in online hacking.
"The first thing people say is, 'My computer is talking to me and it won't shut up and I can't 'X' out of it or click out of it," Anefils said.
He's talking about a fake alert that often includes a robotic voice saying "Your IP address was used without your knowledge" and urges the user to call a number and give up personal information to a hacker.
This kind of hack has become a big problem for Robert Sacht. Sacht runs RWS Consulting, a voice and data services company that currently services 200 South Florida doctors' offices and several small hospitals.
“We use VoIP, which is voice over the internet. It relies on the customer's network and so your phone calls, incoming and outgoing, are going out over the internet, which is the same network as all the patient data, emails," Sacht said. "So, a hospital is in the middle of operating. They're running their daily, they have surgeries going on, admitting patients and all of a sudden, they get hacked and it's not just their data, but their phones too."
Earlier this week, HCA Healthcare announced a massive data breach affecting millions of patients at dozens of Florida hospitals.
Last year, Tenet Heath also experienced what they called a "cybersecurity incident" affecting two hospitals in West Palm Beach.
"I've had customers get hacked and lose their phones for three weeks. So, you have to come up with alternatives," Sacht said. "Patients, patient care, starts to get knocked down and so that's when I reach out to David saying, 'Help me.'"
Anefils told WPTV whether you're a private citizen or you run a business, like a medical office, having friends in the IT world is key.
"Find someone in your community that you can lean on when there's something happening with your home computer or your home network," Anefils said. "At least you can call them right away, because it can cost you tens of tens of thousands of dollars if you don't."
