The email system for the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration has reportedly been spammed with mass emails from outside the agency.
A mailing list for all NOAA workers, including those at the National Weather Service, was reportedly accessed by people outside the network, allowing them to email all 13,000 employees at the administration.
Newsweek reached out to the White House via email for comment.
Why It Matters
The NOAA is critical to the United States infrastructure, providing data on incoming weather conditions and activity along the coast. Any compromise to the administration's email system could drastically impact workflow, reducing the NOAA's ability to provide accurate and up-to-date information.
What To Know
Employees at the NOAA said they have received dozens of rude or spam emails in their work inboxes since Thursday.
According to inbox screenshots obtained by independent journalist Ken Klippenstein, federal workers faced mass emails from several people outside the organization who accessed an email list with over 13,000 employees. He said he was able to email the employees, as well.
Many of the emails were rude or comedic, with Times Now reporting that federal workers received signup links to the Church of Scientology and warnings of "s*** showers" approaching the U.S.
An exact cause for the compromised email system has not been confirmed yet. However, many have attributed the issue to the Trump administration's new communications policies, as the deferred resignation program set up earlier this week used a similar mass email list.
The new email communication system reached over two million federal employees simultaneously. The message included an offer to buy out all federal employees who opted to leave their positions by February 6.
What People Are Saying
Independent journalist Ken Klippenstein, on X, formerly Twitter: "Federal workers across government just received the following memo that seems intended to cajole them into resigning. The Trump administration's changes to their communications system made it so literally anyone can blast messages out to the entire agency."
Houston-based meteorologist Matt Lanza, on X: "The people working for NOAA and the NWS deserve so much better than this."
What Happens Next
The White House has not yet issued a response to the compromised system. President Donald Trump is continuing his quest to cut down on federal spending by offering federal workers eight months of pay to resign from their jobs.
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