What are alternative methods for sending essential communications if our domain is down due to a ransomware attack?

Email marketer from Mailchimp Resources shares that, while slower, direct mail can be a reliable alternative for reaching customers with critical information, especially if digital channels are compromised. They advise planning for this in advance with pre-printed materials.

Email marketer from HubSpot Blog explains that using social media platforms like Twitter or Facebook can be effective for broadcasting essential communications during a domain outage. HubSpot suggests posting updates and directing users to alternative communication channels.

Email marketer from Reddit user u/cybersecurityexpert suggests setting up a secondary domain with a different registrar and hosting provider as a backup. This domain can be used for essential communications if the primary domain is compromised. He recommends regularly testing the failover process.

Email marketer from StackExchange user 'EmailGuru' advises preparing email templates in advance that can be quickly adapted and sent through an alternative email service if the primary system is unavailable. This ensures that essential communications can be sent without delay.

Marketer from Email Geeks explains that If a company falls victim to a ransomware attack, logging into corporate computers and networks might be impossible. However, campaigns could still be launched from an ESP platform using a non-company machine.

Email marketer from Neil Patel Blog shares that SMS marketing is a great way to communicate with your audience if your domain is down. Neil explains it is immediate, personal, and effective for urgent updates.

Marketer from Email Geeks suggests that for essential comms, consider Out of Band (OuB) comms, which involves a completely separate staff comms system that can operate independently of your network/domain.

Email marketer from Quora user John Smith suggests leveraging a public relations channel to disseminate important information to the public. This can be particularly useful for larger organizations that need to communicate with a broad audience.

Email marketer from Business News Daily explains it's important to maintain updated personal contact information for all employees, including phone numbers and personal email addresses. They advise this allows for direct communication during a ransomware attack when corporate systems are inaccessible.

Email marketer from LinkedIn user Jane Doe suggests collaborating with partners or industry peers to disseminate information through their communication channels. This can help reach a wider audience and ensure that important messages are delivered even if your own systems are compromised.

Email marketer from Digital Agency Today shares that leveraging relationships with local media outlets and community leaders can help disseminate essential information during a crisis. Digital Agency Today explains these relationships can provide an avenue for reaching a broad audience quickly and efficiently.

Expert from Word to the Wise highlights the importance of having alternative communication channels clearly defined and tested *before* an incident occurs. This includes ensuring staff are trained on their usage and that the channels are easily accessible, like a dedicated phone line or messaging app.

Expert from Email Geeks advises making sure access to the ESP isn't dependent on the local infrastructure (like single-sign-on) after a ransomware attack.

Expert from Email Geeks shares that backup domains are not a great solution. Al explains that domain sharing isn't best practice anymore. Shared domains have issues with monitoring and preventing problems leading to Gmail issues. Even if a domain is warm, it's not warm with *your* mail, and delivery might not be acceptable.

Expert from Email Geeks advises that best practice disaster recovery (DR) for email streams is to split volume across at least 2 sending IPs.

Documentation from CISA recommends having a well-defined incident response plan that includes alternative communication strategies. The plan should outline how to communicate with employees, customers, and stakeholders if the primary communication channels are unavailable. Consider using a third-party communication platform.

Documentation from The Cyber Peace Institute advises establishing redundant and geographically diverse communication infrastructure to ensure resilience. The Cyber Peace Institute says that this includes using multiple internet service providers and hosting email servers in different locations to minimize the impact of localized outages.

Documentation from NIST explains that maintaining secure, off-site backups of critical data and communication systems is essential. NIST advises that these backups should be regularly tested and isolated from the primary network to prevent ransomware from spreading to them.

Documentation from SANS Institute recommends establishing out-of-band communication channels, such as a dedicated phone line or a secure messaging app on personal devices, to communicate internally during a cyber incident. This ensures that employees can stay informed even if corporate systems are down.