Knowing how to identify and combat cyber threats is an important skill for the USPS® workforce. CyberSafe at USPS™ encourages employees to brush up on cybersecurity best practices to learn how to stay safe online. Cybersecurity is our shared responsibility, and it is critical to know what to do when confronted with such challenges.
Cyber threats come in many forms. Please see below for information on some of the most common threats faced by USPS:
n Phishing Emails. Emails are commonly used by hackers to lure users into sharing personal information or clicking on dangerous links. Be wary of emails from senders you don’t know that require immediate action and/or contain unfamiliar language or grammar mistakes.
n Malware. Malicious software, also known as malware, describes programs that arrive as email attachments. Make sure to verify an email sender’s identity before clicking on attachments or links, and never share your password or credentials.
n Ransomware. Ransomware is a program that encrypts files and computer systems, and then cuts user access until a ransom is paid. To defend against a ransomware attack, back up your data in case it’s necessary to erase a hard drive or files to remove ransomware.
n Password Security. Simple passwords can be easily guessed. Make sure your password is strong and includes both capital and lowercase letters, a number, a special character, and is at least 15 characters long.
All of this advice can be condensed down to a simple phrase: think before you click. Make sure you have taken the necessary steps to protect yourself, and when confronted with suspicious activity, be sure to report it. All suspicious activity should be reported to the CyberSecurity Operations Center (CSOC) by emailing CyberSafe@usps.gov. When reporting a suspected phishing attempt to the CSOC, forward the suspicious email as an attachment by pressing the “Ctrl,” “Alt,” and “F” keys, then send the email to CyberSafe@usps.gov.
For additional tips on how to protect yourself against cyber threats, check out the new CyberSafe at USPS website at www.usps.com/cybersafe or the CyberSafe at USPS pages at https://blue.usps.gov/cyber/ and https://liteblue.usps.gov/cyber/.
— Corporate Information Security Office,
Chief Information Security Officer and
Digital Solutions, 10-27-16
