Cyber security ensures operational continuity, protects our employees and keeps our customers’ information safe. We’re investing in platforms that increase security as well as improve employee safety, benefit sustainability and enhance customer experiences. As cyber-attacks have evolved, we’ve responded by raising cyber awareness, fortifying network monitoring and strengthening telecommunications response capabilities.
This year, our CyberSafe at USPS team trained more than 220,000 employees and contractors on cyber security fundamentals. The team also engages employees using interactive touch points, including monthly phishing simulations to help employees recognize and report cyber scams. Related events include the Annual Cyber Security Awareness Fair at our national headquarters, which promotes best practices to employees and USPS contractors.
The Postal Service maintains one of the largest information technology networks in the world. This broad reach allows the Postal Service to provide a range of unique digital services and compete in an increasingly technology-driven marketplace. The USPS Corporate Information Security Office leads the charge to safeguard the USPS’ massive network, which:
- handles more than 3.5M legitimate emails each day to more than 222,000 email accounts,
- blocks more than 1.8M emails monthly for spam, content, and malware,
- links more than 260,000 mobile delivery devices, 178,000 computers, 45,000 point of sale terminals, 32,000 facilities, 2,800 self-service retail kiosks, and
- averages 6 million visitors each day at USPS.com, where last year it generated $301M in stamp and retail review
Investment in Cybersecurity keeps the United States Postal Service secure.
CISO has implemented major cyber-architecture and infrastructure updates, improved workforce planning, matured our risk management capabilities, and extended our encryption and threat detection capabilities.
USPS Implements Safeguards and Policies: We leverage a variety of methodologies, standards, and best practices to prioritize objectives, guide decisions and investments, and measure our progress to become a world-class cybersecurity organization. To enable business in an evolving digital marketplace, USPS implements safeguards and policies to strengthen its cybersecurity posture, while complying with regulations and aligning to industry standards.
CISO 24/7/365 Cybersecurity Operations Centers: Since the 2014 breach, CISO has built two Cybersecurity Operations Centers to monitor the Postal Service for suspicious activity and receive calls and emails from Postal staff and others 24 hours per day, 7 days a week, 365 days per year. These Centers also receive information from Government/Industry/Military/Intelligence cybersecurity partners who report potential threats to the Postal Service.
CISO Academy: Finding cyber talent is an industry wide challenge. The Postal Service combats this issue by holding a 12 week cybersecurity academy in partnership with Carnegie Melon University. Since 2016, CISO has held three CISO Academies for 66 employees and has two sessions scheduled in 2019.