SANTA BARBARA, Calif., Nov. 6, 2026-- Santa Barbara Endodontics is notifying potentially impacted patients of a data security breach that may have involved their personal and/or protected health information. Its notification letter describes the breach, its response to the breach, and resources available to help patients protect their personal information. Santa Barbara Endodontics provides endodontic health care for the community and surrounding areas of Santa Barbara, California.
What Happened: Santa Barbara Endodontics believes an unknown threat actor gained unauthorized access to its computer systems recently. It believes the actor accessed its patient records and may have moved copies of the records from its systems. At this time, Santa Barbara Endodontics does not know the exact date or dates of intrusion. The incident came to the attention of the practice when it received a ransom note on October 8, 2026 from an unknown group implying that it wanted money from it for restoring its patient files. It discovered upon further review that patient record files on its systems were encrypted with malicious ransomware. Fortunately, it was able to restore its patient records from backup files. Nonetheless, it launched a forensic investigation to determine the nature and scope of the event. That investigation is still underway.
What Information Was Involved: The threat actor may have accessed the following kinds of data: social security numbers (if provided), information regarding medical/dental history, mental or physical condition, endodontic treatment or diagnosis information, insurance carrier, insurance policy numbers or subscriber identification numbers, unique identifiers used by insurers for identification, and information relating to claims.
What The Practice Is Doing: After the incident, Santa Barbara Endodontics immediately began to restore operations in a new environment. It immediately notified the FBI of the incident. It then engaged a cyber security firm to help it assess what happened and the impact of the breach. It is undertaking a thorough process to review its security practices and procedures and, where appropriate, strengthen its security controls. The threat actors claiming to have taken
patient information stated its intentions to post the information. The practice has been
informed of announcements by the attackers on the Internet about the breach and the information they say they have taken. Santa Barbara Endodontics’ cyber security partner is continuing to monitor the dark web for evidence of the scope of any personal information available there. It is also monitoring the practice’s computer systems for signs of additional compromise. The practice has also notified the California Attorney General and the U.S. Department of Health & Human Services (HHS) of this incident. Finally, Santa Barbara Endodontics is offering affected patients 12 months of complimentary identity theft monitoring, prevention, and mitigation services. Affected patients may contact the practice by email at frontdesk@sbendo.com for further instructions to take advantage of this offer. A service focusing on identity theft monitoring, prevention, and mitigation will provide these services.
What Patients Can Do: Santa Barbara Endodontics advised patients to review Explanation of Benefits (EOB) statements from their dental plan and contact their insurers if they see services they didn’t receive. Unknown services on EOB forms might be a sign of identity theft. Also, Santa Barbara Endodontics advised patients who provided their social security numbers to refer to toll-free telephone numbers and addresses of the major credit agencies. Information about identity theft is available on their websites. Also, the California Attorney General’s website contains information about steps patients can take to prevent identity theft. See: https://oag.ca.gov/idtheft.
With nationwide credit reporting agencies, patients can obtain free credit reports, place fraud alerts on their credit files, and place credit freezes on their credit reports. The three nationwide agencies and their contact information are:
- Equifax: 1-888-378-4329; Fraud Alerts: PO Box 105069 Atlanta, GA 30348-5069; Security Freezes: PO Box 105788 Atlanta, GA 30348-5788; www.equifax.com
- Experian: 888-397-3742; PO Box 9554 Allen, TX 75013; www.experian.com
- TransUnion: 800-916-8800; Fraud Alerts: PO Box 2000 Chester, PA 19016; Credit Freezes: PO Box 160 Woodlyn, PA 19094; www.transunion.com
For More Information: Patients seeking more information are welcome to call 1-800-821-4334, contact the practice’s office by postal mail 9 East Pedregosa Street, Suite B, Santa Barbara, CA 93101, or the office by email at frontdesk@sbendo.com.
Endodontist Terrell F. Pannkuk, DDS, MScD wrote the notification letter on behalf of the practice, saying, “We deeply regret that this incident occurred and want to assure you we are taking every necessary step to preserve the integrity of your information and minimize any impact. My staff and I view it as a privilege to serve you and the entire Santa Barbara area and wish to continue to serve our community.”