The State Department’s unclassified email system was recently compromised and has been temporarily shut down for security updates to repair damage from the suspected cyberattack.
An attack on the White House computer network was reported in late October, but at the time, there were no signs the State Department was affected by that breach. The department did not disconnect any systems until this weekend. The Associated Press reported Sunday that a senior government official said they have “recently detected activity of concern.” The official suggested the abnormal activity was part of the same White House incident last month.
Fortunately, no classified information was accessed. A Pentagon spokesperson added Monday that military systems were not affected.
Since the reported White House attack, U.S. Postal Service and National Weather Service have both fallen victim to cybercriminals.
It is still unclear as to where the attacks came from, but previously it has been suggested that the Russian and Chinese are responsible.
The official, who spoke wished to remain anonymous, said the all systems will be up and running in the shortly. Once the security updates have been implemented, the State Department is expected to address the situation.