Frontier Communications, Inc, a telecommunications company based in Virginia, said Monday it had been forced to cancel two online orders because customers were reporting viruses and malware on their computers.
The company said its customers were seeing virus alerts on their computer screens and seeing the words “infected” on their screens.
Frontier Communications said it has been contacted by about 5,000 customers and is investigating.
The cyber threat has also impacted its customer service and sales teams.
The company is still assessing the extent of the threat, and has started to look for ways to limit the risk, it said in a statement.
Affected customers should stop using the company’s services until they are able to determine the cause of the virus.
It has not yet determined whether the virus is being spread by a virus-infected device or a software update.
The announcement comes as federal lawmakers are reviewing the nation’s cybersecurity policies.
The Homeland Security Department said on Monday it would start the process to determine whether to expand the scope of federal cyberattacks to include companies, institutions and individuals.
The Homeland Security review is expected to be completed by late September, according to Homeland Security Secretary Jeh Johnson.
The new guidelines would require federal agencies to assess and protect against cyberattacks on the nation.
The Department of Homeland Security is reviewing cyberthreats that affect a number of businesses, institutions, individuals and organizations, including: The National Security Agency; The Federal Bureau of Investigation; The U.S. Treasury Department; The Department of Energy; and the Federal Reserve Board.