Hack attack: China suspected in massive U.S. Postal Service breach

The U.S. Postal Service on Monday announced it was the target of a recent cyber-attack likely launched by Chinese government hackers that compromised the personal employee data of up to 800,000 employees. The FBI and other federal agencies are investigating, the agency said in a statement. U.S. Postal Service spokesman David Partenheimer said the 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. However, he also said that customers at local post offices or those using its website, usps.com, were not affected.

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

David Partenheimer, U.S. Postal Service spokesman

Partenheimer said the attacks affected Postal Service workers across the board, from the postmaster general to letter carriers to those who work in the inspector general’s office, and that the attacks happened in mid-September. The Washington Post, citing unnamed sources, said Chinese hackers were suspected in the breach. The news comes as U.S. President Barack Obama meets Chinese leader Xi Jinping for high-level talks, amid heightened concerns about cyber-attacks believed to originate from China.

It is an unfortunate fact of life these days that every organisation connected to the Internet is a constant target for cyber intrusion activity.

Patrick Donahoe, Postmaster General

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