Organizations often invest in state-of-the-art firewalls and intrusion detection systems while ignoring the biggest risk to organizational security — the user.
Roughly 94 percent of all malware is delivered through email, which means having access to a USPS® email account comes with responsibility. Users must only use their email for business purposes, stay vigilant for suspicious communications, and report any suspected threats. Keeping USPS email accounts secure must be a top priority for Postal Service™ employees.
The CyberSafe at USPS® team offers the following tips to safely manage your email:
n Use appropriate encryption in emails. Emails containing sensitive information that are addressed to external audiences must be encrypted by adding #sensitive# to the subject line of the email. Sensitive information (requiring encryption) includes:
n Personally identifiable information, such as birthdate, marital status, and addresses.
n Law enforcement information and any material about ongoing investigations.
n Information related to protection of the Postal Service.
n Keep USPS and personal emails separate. Sending emails from your USPS email address on a personal device or receiving personal emails on your USPS device is strictly prohibited.
n Don’t subscribe. Do not use your USPS email address to subscribe to notifications unrelated to business purposes, such as newsletters, publications, and email updates from retailers.
For more helpful tips about email security, visit the CyberSafe web page at blue.usps.gov/cyber/communications.htm.
— Corporate Information Security Office,
Chief Information Security Officer
and Digital Solutions, 8-12-21
