Hackers recently broke into a U.S. Postal Service computer
system and stole personal data, including social security numbers, for 750,000
employees and retirees, a U.S. official familiar with the breach told CNN on
Monday. The breach also compromised the data of 2.9 million postal service
customers, the official said.
The Postal Service acknowledged the breach in a statement
Monday but didn't provide details.
A USPS statement said: "The Postal Service has recently
learned of a cyber-security intrusion into some of our information systems. We
began investigating this incident as soon as we learned of it, and we are
cooperating with the investigation, which is ongoing. The investigation is
being led by the Federal Bureau of Investigation and joined by other federal
and postal investigatory agencies. The intrusion is limited in scope and all
operations of the Postal Service are functioning normally."
The personal identifying information of the 750,000
employees and retirees includes birthdates, addresses and employment codes used
in the Postal Service's payroll systems, the official briefed on the matter
said.
The USPS is notifying employees and retirees Monday and will
pay for credit monitoring for those affected, the official said. USPS
customers' data affected includes names, home addresses, phone numbers and
emails.
Rep. Elijah Cummins, (D-Md.), sent a letter Monday to the
Postal Service seeking more information about the breach, raising concerns amid
numerous other breaches affecting 500 million records in the financial industry
this year.
The FBI, which is investigating the breach, is working with
the United States Postal Service to determine the nature and scope of this
incident. Impacted individuals should take steps to monitor and safeguard their
personally identifiable information, and report any suspected instances of
identity theft to the FBI's Internet Crime Complaint Center.
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