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Employees are asked to switch to secure platforms.
The U.S. Financial Services Consumer Protection Bureau (CFPB) has issued a directive directing employees to limit the use of mobile phones for work purposes. The reason for this decision was the recent large-scale cyberattack on the telecommunications infrastructure of the United States, which, according to investigators, was allegedly carried out by hackers associated with Chinese intelligence services.
The CFPB's chief information technology officer sent out a letter to employees on Thursday pointing out that internal and external work meetings and discussions involving nonpublic data should only be held on platforms such as Microsoft Teams and Cisco WebEx, and not on work or personal phones.
"DO NOT conduct CFPB work using voice calls or text messages on mobile devices," the letter says.
Despite the lack of direct evidence that the CFPB has become a target of unauthorized access, the agency's leadership calls for strict compliance with the new rules to minimize the risks of data compromise. The directive applies to all employees and contractors of the bureau.
According to a former government official, many federal employees have already reduced their use of mobile phones due to the hacking attack. Among civil servants, there is a "general restraint in the use of mobile phones." It is not yet known whether other federal agencies plan to take similar measures.
Experts emphasize that such directives restricting the use of mobile phones in response to a specific threat are rare for American government agencies. The crackdown reflects a high level of concern among investigators about the seriousness of the hacking of telecommunications companies, including Verizon and AT&T.
The notice also states that even through communication platforms, it is not recommended to make calls if a mobile device is used on the recipient's side. According to the investigation, Chinese hackers targeted a wide range of senior officials responsible for U.S. national security and policy, as well as U.S. politicians.
The US Cybersecurity and Infrastructure Security Agency (CISA) has not yet commented on the situation.
Source
The U.S. Financial Services Consumer Protection Bureau (CFPB) has issued a directive directing employees to limit the use of mobile phones for work purposes. The reason for this decision was the recent large-scale cyberattack on the telecommunications infrastructure of the United States, which, according to investigators, was allegedly carried out by hackers associated with Chinese intelligence services.
The CFPB's chief information technology officer sent out a letter to employees on Thursday pointing out that internal and external work meetings and discussions involving nonpublic data should only be held on platforms such as Microsoft Teams and Cisco WebEx, and not on work or personal phones.
"DO NOT conduct CFPB work using voice calls or text messages on mobile devices," the letter says.
Despite the lack of direct evidence that the CFPB has become a target of unauthorized access, the agency's leadership calls for strict compliance with the new rules to minimize the risks of data compromise. The directive applies to all employees and contractors of the bureau.
According to a former government official, many federal employees have already reduced their use of mobile phones due to the hacking attack. Among civil servants, there is a "general restraint in the use of mobile phones." It is not yet known whether other federal agencies plan to take similar measures.
Experts emphasize that such directives restricting the use of mobile phones in response to a specific threat are rare for American government agencies. The crackdown reflects a high level of concern among investigators about the seriousness of the hacking of telecommunications companies, including Verizon and AT&T.
The notice also states that even through communication platforms, it is not recommended to make calls if a mobile device is used on the recipient's side. According to the investigation, Chinese hackers targeted a wide range of senior officials responsible for U.S. national security and policy, as well as U.S. politicians.
The US Cybersecurity and Infrastructure Security Agency (CISA) has not yet commented on the situation.
Source
