As Seen on KOLO‑TV: Nevada's Cyberattack — 3 Moves Every Organization Should Make Now
What we shared on KOLO‑TV
In KOLO's coverage, Sierra Miles leaders highlighted the two realities that define modern incidents:
- Backups are targeted. As Sierra Miles co‑founder Tim Miles noted, "State entities are a primary target; hackers can destroy the backups first and then the live data." https://www.kolotv.com
- Processes matter. COO Brandon App underscored that readiness hinges on proper IT processes being in place and verified—not just detection tools. "It must be investigated—were proper IT processes in place to protect data?" https://www.kolotv.com
State officials also confirmed that forensic analysis indicates some data was moved outside the state network, a tactic often paired with encryption to increase leverage. https://www.kolotv.com
3 Resilience Moves to Put in Place Now
Make backups that ransom can't touch
When criminals find backups, they try to corrupt or delete them before hitting production.
- Use 3‑2‑1(+1): 3 copies, 2 media, 1 off‑site + 1 immutable copy.
- Store at least one copy off‑network with strict access controls.
- Run quarterly restore drills (document RTO/RPO and gaps).
- Require MFA for all admin actions and log them end‑to‑end.
Hardwire your processes—then rehearse them
Security tools are only as strong as the runbooks behind them.
- Keep a living Incident Response Plan with owners, SLAs, and escalation paths.
- Run cross‑functional tabletops (phishing, privilege abuse, backup compromise).
- Maintain a one‑page 2 a.m. crisis checklist so leaders can act fast and consistently.
Close the human & vendor loop
Deliver short, role‑specific security awareness and review vendor access.
- Deliver short, role‑specific security awareness (links, attachments, MFA, approvals).
- Review vendor/data access and require security attestations.
- Practice credential hygiene: rotate keys, limit standing privileges, monitor admins.
Quick gut‑check for your team
- Can we prove we have an immutable, off‑network backup—and show the last restore test?
- When did we last run a tabletop—and what changed as a result?
- Which vendors can touch our data—and how are they attested?
- Do we have a plain‑English comms plan if core systems go dark?
Why Sierra Miles
We're Northern Nevada's award‑winning managed IT and cybersecurity partner, serving SMBs, healthcare, legal, and other regulated industries with a local, accountable team and enterprise‑grade platforms.
IT Support | Cybersecurity Company of the Year (2024 NCET Tech Awards)From EDR/MDR and zero‑trust hardening to immutable backups, compliance reporting, and incident response exercises, we safeguard operations so you can focus on your mission.
Ready for a second set of eyes?
Book a Cyber Resilience Review. We'll assess backups, identity, processes, vendor risk, and communications—then deliver a prioritized action plan tailored to your environment.
Schedule your Cyber Resilience Review Call (775) 420‑4224