Outreach to Clients for Local Situations
Evaluating local situations and reaching out to clients who might be affected
Problem
A critical situation has emerged in a country and there might be consequences in terms of digital security, like an internet shutdown, blockages of websites, arrests of activists who are active online, DDoS attacks, etc.
We should reach out to our clients with advice on how to mitigate the threats they might be facing and offer to help in case they need assistance for prevention or mitigation.
Solution
Every incident handler should be up-to-date on news of digital threats or local situations worldwide. They should read the bulletins shared though the internal Helpline mailing list, and browse a number of news websites looking for any news that can be of interest to the Helpline operators, trainers, or our clients.
When a local situation arises, involving a digital security threat, incident handlers should:
- try, if necessary together with the rest of the team, to identify the kind of digital threat(s) involved, and
- check if the Helpline has any clients in the places affected.
If any clients have been identified, the incident handler should write to them, using the template in Article #279: Outreach Template for Local Situations, to warn them of the threat and offer advice to prevent or contain the risk, as well as help in case any action is required.