© 2024 Blaze Media LLC. All rights reserved.
U.S. Postal Service Says It's the Victim of a Cyberattack
Letter carrier Diosdado Gabnat moves boxes of mail into his truck to begin delivery Monday, Dec. 5, 2011, at a post office in Seattle. The cash-strapped U.S. Postal Service said Monday it is seeking to move quickly to close 252 mail processing centers and slow first-class delivery next spring, citing steadily declining mail volume. The cuts are part of $3 billion in reductions aimed at helping the agency avert bankruptcy next year. The plant closures are expected to result in the elimination of roughly 28,000 jobs nationwide. (AP Photo/Elaine Thompson)

U.S. Postal Service Says It's the Victim of a Cyberattack

WASHINGTON (AP) -- The U.S. Postal Service said Monday it is the victim of a cyberattack and that information about its employees, including Social Security numbers, may have been compromised.

The FBI and other federal agencies are investigating, the agency said in a statement.

Postal Service spokesman David Partenheimer said personal information that may have been obtained in the attack includes employees' names, dates of birth, Social Security numbers, addresses, emergency contacts and other information.

Letter carrier Diosdado Gabnat moves boxes of mail into his truck to begin delivery Monday, Dec. 5, 2011, at a post office in Seattle. The cash-strapped U.S. Postal Service said Monday it is seeking to move quickly to close 252 mail processing centers and slow first-class delivery next spring, citing steadily declining mail volume. The cuts are part of $3 billion in reductions aimed at helping the agency avert bankruptcy next year. The plant closures are expected to result in the elimination of roughly 28,000 jobs nationwide. (AP Photo/Elaine Thompson) AP/Elaine Thompson

However, he also said that customers at local post offices or those using its website, usps.com, were not affected. But people who used its call center may have had telephone numbers, email addresses and other information compromised.

The agency isn't recommending that those customers take any action.

The Postal Service provided no immediate information on how many people may have been affected. It employs over 617,000 workers.

"The intrusion is limited in scope and all operations of the Postal Service are functioning normally," Partenheimer said.

"It is an unfortunate fact of life these days that every organization connected to the Internet is a constant target for cyber intrusion activity," Postmaster General Patrick Donahoe said in a statement. "The United States Postal Service is no different."

"Fortunately, we have seen no evidence of malicious use of the compromised data and we are taking steps to help our employees protect against any potential misuse of their data."

Want to leave a tip?

We answer to you. Help keep our content free of advertisers and big tech censorship by leaving a tip today.
Want to join the conversation?
Already a subscriber?