Ransomware Attack Targets Dean Cosmetic Dentistry Center, Exposing Patient and Employee Data
Dean Cosmetic Dentistry Center, a dental practice in Knoxville, Tennessee, has fallen victim to a ransomware attack, with the threat group NightSpire claiming to have stolen sensitive patient and employee records. On June 18, 2026, NightSpire posted a notice on a dark web forum hosted on the Tor network, stating it had exfiltrated data and would publish it within three to four days unless demands were met.
The compromised data reportedly includes patient records, invoice details, and employee information, potentially containing protected health information (PHI) and personally identifiable information (PII). As a healthcare provider, Dean Cosmetic Dentistry Center is subject to regulatory requirements, though no attorney general filings, regulatory disclosures, or public notifications have been made as of June 23, 2026. The exact scope of exposed data and the number of affected individuals remain unconfirmed.
The practice has not issued a public statement regarding the incident. Current and former patients, as well as employees, have been advised to contact the office directly at 865-539-1119 (Monday–Friday, 8:00 a.m.–5:00 p.m.) for updates. The attack underscores the ongoing risks to healthcare providers and the potential for sensitive data exposure in ransomware incidents.
Source: https://www.claimdepot.com/data-breach/dean-cosmetic-dentistry-2026
Dean Cosmetic Dentistry Ctr cybersecurity rating report: https://www.rankiteo.com/company/dean-cosmetic-dentistry-ctr
"id": "DEA1782434222",
"linkid": "dean-cosmetic-dentistry-ctr",
"type": "Ransomware",
"date": "6/2026",
"severity": "100",
"impact": "4",
"explanation": "Attack with significant impact with customers data leaks"{'affected_entities': [{'industry': 'Dental/Healthcare',
'location': 'Knoxville, Tennessee',
'name': 'Dean Cosmetic Dentistry Center',
'type': 'Healthcare Provider'}],
'customer_advisories': 'Current and former patients, as well as employees, '
'advised to contact the office directly at '
'865-539-1119 (Monday–Friday, 8:00 a.m.–5:00 p.m.) for '
'updates.',
'data_breach': {'data_exfiltration': 'Yes',
'personally_identifiable_information': 'Yes',
'sensitivity_of_data': 'High (PHI and PII)',
'type_of_data_compromised': ['Patient records',
'Invoice details',
'Employee information']},
'date_publicly_disclosed': '2026-06-18',
'description': 'Dean Cosmetic Dentistry Center, a dental practice in '
'Knoxville, Tennessee, has fallen victim to a ransomware '
'attack, with the threat group NightSpire claiming to have '
'stolen sensitive patient and employee records. The '
'compromised data reportedly includes patient records, invoice '
'details, and employee information, potentially containing '
'protected health information (PHI) and personally '
'identifiable information (PII).',
'impact': {'data_compromised': 'Patient records, invoice details, employee '
'information (PHI and PII)',
'identity_theft_risk': 'High'},
'investigation_status': 'Ongoing',
'ransomware': {'data_exfiltration': 'Yes'},
'references': [{'date_accessed': '2026-06-18',
'source': 'Dark web forum (Tor network)'}],
'regulatory_compliance': {'regulatory_notifications': 'None as of 2026-06-23'},
'response': {'communication_strategy': 'Advising affected individuals to '
'contact the office directly'},
'threat_actor': 'NightSpire',
'title': 'Ransomware Attack Targets Dean Cosmetic Dentistry Center, Exposing '
'Patient and Employee Data',
'type': 'Ransomware'}