MOSCOW, November 17 (Sputnik) – A suspected cyber-attack may have shut down the US State Department’s entire unclassified email network, AFP reported.
The State Department’s network is expected to begin working normally again soon, as the email shutdown was due to a scheduled technical assessment to make necessary security updates, an unnamed official told the Associated Press (AP).
However, there was evidence that hackers might have breached the security of the email handling system, according to reports that came in on Sunday, AFP said.
US government agencies have been targeted for cyber-attacks, as of late. Last week, the US Postal Service said that hackers breached into its personal data information. As many as 800,000 people who work for the agency were affected, as the hackers penetrated the agency’s payment systems, AFP said.
Although hackers from the previous attacks have not yet been officially identified, the Obama’s administration was quick to put blame on Russian and Chinese governments for high-level cyber infiltrations, the International Business Times informed.
