Yesterday, the US State Department announced that it’s had to temporarily shut down its email system and public websites following a breach of its computer systems. The Associated Press reports that the security breach didn’t ultimately affect its classified systems.
“This has impacted some of our unclassified email traffic and our access to public websites from our main unclassified system,” one senior State Department official told the New York Times.
The breach was discovered when “activity of concern” was detected on the State Department’s computer system. There’s no word on how long hackers may have had access, but it is reported that security improvements were being made as of Sunday.
It’s the fourth such compromise in recent months, with computer systems at the White House, the United States Postal Service and the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration being affected. It’s not clear if the events are related. [AP]
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