Unknown attackers managed to breach the computer systems of the United States Postal Service (USPS), gaining unauthorized access to sensitive employee and customer data.
Extensive investigations are being conducted by the USPS, in collaboration with the FBI and other federal agencies, to analyze the incident.
So far, there is not much information available, other than the type of data that was leaked, which includes personal information of employees and customers.
Millions of people are affected by the attack
In a statement, USPS public relations director David Partenheimer said that in the case of employees , the attackers were able to gain access to names, dates of birth, Social Security numbers, addresses, insurance start and end dates, and emergency contact information.
The personal data of millions of customers has also been exposed, as the hack affected the company's call center. Customers who had contacted the USPS between January 1 and August 16 were affected, and names, addresses, phone numbers, email addresses and other personal information of customers are in the hands of the attackers.
The Postal Service has not yet disclosed any information about the number of people affected by the attack, but according to CNN, the data of more than 750,000 employees and retirees, as well as the data of about 2.9 million customers, has been compromised.
According to an official USPS announcement, employees affected by the attack will receive free account monitoring services for one year.
Currently, there is no indication that the stolen data has been used for nefarious purposes.
