The Ministry US Foreign (State Department) closed e-mail systems they used for the weekend after suspected violations, according to the Associated Press.
The activity detected by State Department system technicians has caused concern and has resulted in the closure of the Ministry's mail servers. Technicians report that suspicious activity began in October, near the time of attack on the White House systems. Other government agencies such as the US Postal Service and the National Meteorological Service reported similar attacks. It is currently unclear whether the attacks are linked.
A Department official who spoke to The Associated Press insisted that classified systems were not affected by the attack. What is certain is that the simple system e-mail, and access on public websites of the Department, have been affected and closed.
The Associated Press reports that the State Department is expected to issue a statement on the issue Monday or Tuesday following the security improvements that have been put in place.
According to the newspaper Washington Post, the shutdown of the State Department's mail servers led to department employees using Gmail accounts to communicate.
