What can you do to keep Postal Service™ networks, systems, and resources secure in 2017? As 2016 comes to a close, this is a question all employees should keep in mind to protect the organization from cyber harm.
The Postal Service faces over 257 billion unauthorized attempts to access its networks each month.1 Although the Postal Service has successfully combatted billions of cyber threats, it is important to be prepared for new, more complex attacks which are expected to arise in the coming year. These include:
n Phishing – Phishing attempts are typically conducted through emails. They can be identified by looking for an unknown sender, suspicious links or URLs, requests for immediate action (i.e., requests for credit card or account information), and misspellings and/or grammatical errors.
n Mobile Devices – Cyber threats are not unique to computers or laptops. Hackers also use text messages to send malicious links or attachments. Think carefully before downloading attachments or clicking on links sent to your mobile device, especially if they come from an unknown sender.
n Ransomware – Hackers use ransomware to hold your computer “hostage” (i.e., lock you out of your device and/or files) until a sum of money is paid. To prevent a ransomware attack, exercise caution when clicking on pop-up advertisements or unknown websites and links.
You can help protect the Postal Service from cyber threats by exercising cybersafe behaviors and reporting suspicious activity. In an increasingly dangerous cyber environment, it is important that employees remain vigilant and exercise caution online. One wrong click by an employee can jeopardize the full scope of the Postal Service network. To protect against cyber threats, always report all suspicious activity, even if you’re not sure if it poses a threat.
Suspicious activity should be reported to the CyberSecurity Operations Center (CSOC) at CyberSafe@usps.gov. For more information on reporting suspected threats, check out the public-facing CyberSafe at USPS™ website at www.usps.com/cybersafe or the Cybersafe at USPS pages on Blue (https://blue.usps.gov/cyber/) and LiteBlue (https://liteblue.usps.gov/cyber/).
— Corporate Information Security Office,
Chief Information Security Officer
and Digital Solutions, 12-22-16
