The Postal Service is reminding employees and contractors that they should not connect their personal smart devices to USPS-issued smartphones, tablets or laptops.
Smart devices include watches, televisions, appliances, home security cameras and personal tablets and phones. They are part of the Internet of Things, also known as IoT.
These IoT devices connect to the internet and have their own IP addresses — a numeric designation that identifies their location on the internet.
Because of that separate connection to the internet, pairing personal smart devices to a USPS-issued device puts the Postal Service’s network at risk of targeting by cybercriminals through malware and other malicious software.
Connecting personal smart devices or other home devices to USPS equipment violates Postal Service policies. If connected to a postal device, a compromised IoT device could put the network in danger, damage the reputation of stakeholders and create serious cybersecurity issues for the Postal Service.
The CyberSafe at USPS Blue and LiteBlue pages have more information.