D. K. Carr and Associates, LLC

10/31/2026

Some Ghosts Never Leave Your Healthcare Practice. And we're not talking about Halloween decorations.

👻 The Ghost Employee — Left the practice two years ago. Still has an active login.

🕸️ The Haunted Vendor — The contract ended, but remote access never did.

🧟 The Zombie Software — No longer supported, but still running on your network.

💀 The Skeleton in the Closet — That HIPAA Risk Analysis nobody has updated.

🦇 The Invisible AI — Employees using unapproved AI tools with patient information.

The scariest cybersecurity threats aren't always the ones trying to break in.
Sometimes they're the ones you've forgotten are already there. Before you put away the Halloween decorations, take a closer look at what's lurking inside your practice.

🎃 Don't let your cybersecurity skeletons come back to haunt you!

Security Brings Compliance.

10/29/2026

Everything looks good on paper. But what happens on a busy Monday morning?

- An employee shares a password because it's faster.
- Someone approves an MFA request without thinking.
- A staff member uploads patient information into an unapproved AI tool.
- A former employee's account is still active.

These aren't necessarily sophisticated cyberattacks. They're everyday behaviors that can create serious security risks.

Are our security policies actually being practiced—or are they just sitting in a binder?

Security Brings Compliance.

10/25/2026

Great financial advice.

10/19/2026

Healthcare Cybersecurity Alert: Hackers Are Pretending to Be IT Support. Forget the suspicious email for a moment.

What happens when an employee receives a phone call from someone claiming to be your IT department? Recent healthcare security warnings highlight an increase in voice phishing and social engineering attacks.

The question every practice should ask:

Would your employees recognize a fraudulent IT support call?
Do they know how to verify someone's identity?
Would they question an unexpected MFA approval request?
Technology alone cannot prevent every attack.

Your employees need to recognize the warning signs.

Security Brings Compliance.

10/15/2026

$140,000 HIPAA Settlement — And It Wasn't a Cyberattack!

On October 8, 2026, the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services (HHS) announced a $140,000 settlement with a Pennsylvania dental practice.

The investigation began with a patient complaint involving delayed access to medical records.

But what investigators uncovered went much further.

❌ Missing HIPAA policies and procedures

❌ Inadequate safeguards for patient information

❌ Failure to provide timely access to patient records

This marks the 56th HIPAA Right of Access enforcement action by the HHS Office for Civil Rights.

The takeaway for healthcare organizations?

HIPAA compliance isn't just about preventing cyberattacks. It's about protecting patient information, respecting patient rights, and ensuring your policies are actually being followed.

When was the last time your practice reviewed its HIPAA Privacy policies?

Security Brings Compliance.

HHS’ Office for Civil Rights Settles HIPAA Privacy Rule Investigation with Dr. Linda L. Shen d/b/a Shen Smiles, P.C.

10/12/2026

AI Has Entered the Building!

Your organization may not have officially implemented AI. BUT.....Your employees may have! ChatGPT. Meeting assistants. Documentation tools. Email generators. Browser extensions.

The question isn't simply:
“Do we use AI?”

It's:
“Where is AI being used, what information is being entered, and have we approved it?”

AI governance starts with knowing what's happening inside your organization.
DK Carr & Associates can help establish the guardrails.

Security Brings Compliance.

10/08/2026

Don’t Let Your Vendors Haunt You 👻

You know who has access to your network today.

But what about the vendor you hired three years ago?
Or the software you stopped using?
Or the consultant whose account was never disabled?

Third-party access has a way of sticking around.

October is a great time to clean out the cybersecurity cobwebs.

Review your vendors. Review access. Review your BAAs.

Need help? Contact DK Carr & Associates.

Security Brings Compliance.

10/06/2026

October is Cybersecurity Awareness Month, but cybersecurity shouldn’t be something your practice thinks about once a year.

Passwords - MFA - Employee training - Vendor access - Risk Analysis - Incident Response

Each layer matters!

One weak point can put patient information—and your entire organization—at risk.

Use October as your reminder to ask:
Are our security safeguards actually working today?

Contact DK Carr & Associates to review where your organization stands.

Security Brings Compliance.

09/08/2026

As many have heard by now, a known cyber gang Direwolf has posted that they have exfiltrated over 26 gigs of information from EAssist.

I am recommending to my clients that they take several steps. 1) change practice management passwords for all users 2) change insurance portal passwords and enable MFA 3) review remote access. Consider changing the platform you are using especially if using AnyDesk. require MFA for all remote log ins 4)call your bank and ask them to flag your account and of course monitor for abnormal activity. 5)If you work or ever worked for them, watch your bank accounts and freeze your credit. 6) consider changing your practice email or any email passwords that maybe connected with the account. DireWolf is known for double and triple extortion. According to the sample leak, they have practice information, patients info, client (practice) info, and accounting info.

I also highly recommend that you review your practices security protocols and compliance to the HIPAA Security Rule.

08/31/2026

No healthcare leader wants to spend Labor Day responding to a cyberattack.

Yet holiday weekends remain attractive targets because organizations often have reduced staffing and slower response times.

Preparation before the holiday matters.

Review alerts.

Verify backups.

Know who to call.

Test your Incident Response Plan.

The best emergency is the one you’re prepared for.

Have a safe Labor Day—and a secure one.

Security Brings Compliance.