US Postal Service Suspends Telecommuting Following Massive Data Breach

Following a publicized breach at the US Postal Service, that organization is discontinuing virtual private network (VPN) connections into its network, according to reports.

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The Postal Service took the unusual step after acknowledging, earlier this week, that a breach of their network security exposed data on 800,000 employees and 2.9 million customers.

According to a statement from a USPS spokesman to the online publication Dark Reading, the virtual private network (VPN) service for postal employees was taken down this weekend and will not be brought back up until a version with more “robust security features can be installed.”

“As a result, telecommuting has been suspended until further notice,” he said.

Remote access tools including VPNs and remote desktop applications like Citrix are a frequent source of compromises of corporate networks. Most recently, compromised employee systems are believed to be the source of an attack on JP Morgan’s network. VPN software that was vulnerable to the Heartbleed SSL attack were also believed to be to behind a breach at Community Health Services, a healthcare network.

Read more via Dark Reading: US Postal Service Suspends Telecommuting Following Massive Data Breach.