U.S. Postal Service: USPS Hacked: Postal Service Hit By Cyber Attack

USPS Cyberattack Exposes Data of 800,000 Employees, Suspected State-Linked Hack

The U.S. Postal Service (USPS) disclosed a cybersecurity breach on November 10, 2014, revealing that the personal data of approximately 800,000 employees may have been compromised. The attack, which investigators believe originated in China, had been ongoing for at least two months prior to detection.

Exposed information includes names, addresses, Social Security numbers, and other sensitive employee data. While USPS stated there was no evidence of customer credit card information being accessed, the breach also affected call center records, potentially exposing names, addresses, phone numbers, and email addresses of individuals who contacted USPS between January and August 2014.

A source briefed on the incident indicated the attack was likely carried out by state-sponsored actors, though USPS emphasized that operations remained unaffected. Postmaster General Patrick Donahoe acknowledged the growing threat of cyber intrusions but noted no malicious use of the compromised data had been observed. The agency has since strengthened its security measures in response.

The FBI is leading the investigation, with cybersecurity experts analyzing the hackers’ tactics to determine attribution. Former FBI official Shawn Henry highlighted the broader implications, noting that even basic personal data can be valuable in state-sponsored espionage efforts. The incident follows previous U.S. accusations against China for cyberattacks, which Beijing has consistently denied.

Source: https://abcnews.com/US/usps-hacked-postal-service-hit-cyber-attack/story?id=26810621

United States Postal Service cybersecurity rating report: https://www.rankiteo.com/company/usps

"id": "USP1776349784",
"linkid": "usps",
"type": "Breach",
"date": "1/2026",
"severity": "85",
"impact": "4",
"explanation": "Attack with significant impact with customers data leaks"

{'affected_entities': [{'customers_affected': '800,000 employees and '
                                              'individuals who contacted USPS '
                                              'call centers between January '
                                              'and August 2014',
                        'industry': 'Postal Services',
                        'location': 'United States',
                        'name': 'U.S. Postal Service (USPS)',
                        'size': 'Large',
                        'type': 'Government Agency'}],
 'data_breach': {'number_of_records_exposed': '800,000+',
                 'personally_identifiable_information': 'Yes',
                 'sensitivity_of_data': 'High',
                 'type_of_data_compromised': ['Names',
                                              'Addresses',
                                              'Social Security numbers',
                                              'Phone numbers',
                                              'Email addresses']},
 'date_detected': '2014-11-10',
 'date_publicly_disclosed': '2014-11-10',
 'description': 'The U.S. Postal Service (USPS) disclosed a cybersecurity '
                'breach on November 10, 2014, revealing that the personal data '
                'of approximately 800,000 employees may have been compromised. '
                'The attack, which investigators believe originated in China, '
                'had been ongoing for at least two months prior to detection. '
                'Exposed information includes names, addresses, Social '
                'Security numbers, and other sensitive employee data. While '
                'USPS stated there was no evidence of customer credit card '
                'information being accessed, the breach also affected call '
                'center records, potentially exposing names, addresses, phone '
                'numbers, and email addresses of individuals who contacted '
                'USPS between January and August 2014.',
 'impact': {'data_compromised': 'Personal data of 800,000 employees and call '
                                'center records of individuals who contacted '
                                'USPS between January and August 2014',
            'identity_theft_risk': 'High',
            'operational_impact': 'No operational impact reported',
            'payment_information_risk': 'None (no evidence of credit card '
                                        'information accessed)'},
 'initial_access_broker': {'reconnaissance_period': 'At least two months'},
 'investigation_status': 'Ongoing (FBI-led)',
 'motivation': 'Espionage',
 'post_incident_analysis': {'corrective_actions': 'Strengthened security '
                                                  'measures'},
 'references': [{'source': 'USPS Disclosure'}],
 'response': {'law_enforcement_notified': 'FBI',
              'remediation_measures': 'Strengthened security measures'},
 'threat_actor': 'State-sponsored actors (suspected China-linked)',
 'title': 'USPS Cyberattack Exposes Data of 800,000 Employees, Suspected '
          'State-Linked Hack',
 'type': 'Data Breach'}