The Postal Service is warning employees and contractors to avoid certain actions that will cause the organization to quarantine their USPS-issued mobile devices.
This includes both iOS (iPhones and iPads) and Android devices.
“There are more than 30,000 active devices on the USPS network. Any one of these devices can be the weak link in a strong network if the operating system is out of date or a malicious app is downloaded and makes its way into our network,” said Erica Wiley, endpoint systems manager.
Wiley said the Postal Service is quarantining USPS-issued smartphones and tablets that have out-of-date operating systems or operating systems that cannot be updated, and devices that contain apps that pose a risk to the USPS network.
Once a smartphone or tablet is quarantined, it loses access to email and in-house apps. In addition, devices in quarantine will also lose access to the camera and biometric authentication. Devices that run on iOS will lose access to FaceTime, as well.
Quarantined devices will also display a red screen, which will remain until it is no longer in quarantine.
Mobile phones and tablets with disallowed apps will have to be wiped before they are removed from quarantine.
“By keeping your device up to date and free of risky apps, it will run more smoothly and will have new features that enhance your device and increase your productivity,” Wiley said.
More information about device quarantine is available on the ACE Endpoint Resources SharePoint page.