One assumes that the government handling of taxes would have the utmost security. It would be havoc if people’s tax data were breached. If one did assume that tax data were secure, one would be mistaken:

“WASHINGTON (AP) - One more tax-season dread: A week before the filing deadline, Treasury watchdogs said Monday that poor controls over IRS computers could allow a disgruntled employee, agency contractor or outside hacker to steal taxpayers’ confidential information.

Indeed, a hacker might even “gain full control of the IRS network,” said a report Monday from the office of the Treasury Inspector General for Tax Administration.”

link: Report Finds IRS Computer Security Flaws

Terrorist would find this a breach of security that could impact on every citizen. Hackers and identity thieves could do immeasurable damage with access. This is a security issue that should concern every citizen. This report is a clarion call - hopefully there is someone in government with enough sense to heed the warning.

Catherine Forsythe
Director of Operations
FlyingHamster: http://flyinghamster.com/

Tags: irs, hackers, security, data breach, identity theft, chaos, report