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IRS Taxpayer Data is Insecure

pcworld.com — Less than three months after the Treasury Inspector General for Tax Administration reported that there were major security vulnerabilities in two crucial Internal Revenue Service systems, the IRS's security practices have been panned by another government entity.

Who dugg this? Made popular Jan 19, 2009

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31 Comments

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  • kemp34, on 01/19/2009, -0/+25The IRS should be abolished.
  • inactive, on 01/19/2009, -0/+12Does this mean we don't have to pay taxes now?
  • omgwtflawl, on 01/19/2009, -0/+10They just need to throw out that entire agency and...not start over again.
  • inactive, on 01/19/2009, -1/+9Good to find this out now as I am preparing to file. Thanks for the information. Will share with my family as well.
  • angusm, on 01/19/2009, -0/+5Comforting thought: you can encrypt all your personal data until the bits squeak, select the "Paranoid" option on every single piece of software you use, and generally be more security-aware than Bruce Schneier .... and it won't do you any good, because some jackass from your bank or the IRS is still going to leave his laptop in a titty bar or set his password to 'password1'.
  • roho76, on 01/19/2009, -0/+4What they need to do is STAND DOWN.
  • govsucks, on 01/19/2009, -1/+5If you hackers wanna show how bad ass you really are, hack into that data and destroy it. Better yet, shift the entire tax burden to the politicians and put nothing on the rest of us.
  • SpykerSpeed, on 01/19/2009, -1/+4Can Americans file a class-action lawsuit against them for this? Oh, right, we can't because they're a government entity. The mafia.
  • datastorageguy, on 01/19/2009, -0/+3That's funny because my tax dollars aren't secure either.
  • TechMike, on 01/19/2009, -1/+4If everyone yelled at you, you'd feel insecure as well!
  • brandita, on 01/21/2009, -0/+2Death, Taxes, and Hackers...the only 3 things we can always count on.
  • Sublimin4L, on 01/19/2009, -0/+2You would think that with all the experience the NSA has with cryptography, they could lend a few people to go over to other agencies and beef up security.
  • inactive, on 01/19/2009, -0/+2I hope somebody sues classmates.com for all the internet ***** they have ever provided the world with.

    Also say goodbye to your account
  • tajitj, on 01/20/2009, -0/+2That is why I own stock in IceWEB Inc., they do offsite secure storage for Fed govt. They have not dealt with IRS, looks like they might need them.

    http://iceweb.com/
  • tonyteetime, on 01/19/2009, -0/+2I don't mind paying gas , food , sales tax or any other taxes which are based on usuage. Heck, I don't even mind paying income taxes to my state, but to force us to also pay "federal" income taxes is not very fair. Abolish the IRS now !
  • theNazz, on 01/20/2009, -0/+2Apparently the people have forgotten about the law passed a few years ago that allows the IRS to sell our private tax data to third parties... and they don't have to inform us of the details.
  • Sovereigndk, on 01/19/2009, -0/+2they ain't a government entity, they nothing but a private company outta Puerto Rico.

    google "IRS 31 Questions"
  • Nymphe, on 01/19/2009, -0/+2No, they need to step off.
  • Sovereigndk, on 01/19/2009, -0/+2do you really have a Tax Liability? I don't

    most workers who work for private companies don't either

    Just the FACTS!

    It's all about INCOME
    No INCOME comes from working, that is PROPERTY (not taxable)
    just google " TOM CRYER " and learn!
  • papashawn, on 01/19/2009, -0/+1Would we be better off if the data was self-confident?
  • brandita, on 01/21/2009, -0/+1How would that work? I don't think everyone is just going to voluntarily fork over taxes.
  • mc1123, on 01/19/2009, -1/+2Ya, hackers should just destroy the whole building while they're at it.

    I mean, hackers can do that right? That's what always happens in movies...
  • IronTek, on 01/19/2009, -0/+1Why's that?

    Insecure Taxpayer Data *is* Insecure.
  • roho76, on 01/19/2009, -0/+1Please elaborate.
  • nbluth, on 01/19/2009, -2/+3Wait was the IRS ever secure? Didn't L. Ron Hubert break into those records a while ago and start blackmailing people? The IRS needs to step up its game.
  • Rikkochet, on 01/19/2009, -0/+1http://www.google.ca/search?source=ig&hl=en&am ...

    They have a paid link at the top of the search. Go there and click it.
    If they want to spam Digg, they can enjoy a big adwords bill this month.
  • PacketScan, on 01/19/2009, -0/+1Why pay taxes when you can just remove your records. oooops.
  • 6oo63D, on 01/19/2009, -0/+1Time to start afresh I guess

    *burns all record books*
  • stevelectric, on 01/20/2009, -0/+0Jenocide- You would be surprised what can happen to Voter Registration information also, Click Link:
    http://www.communati.com/steve-lee/think-privacy
  • shoppingkart, on 01/19/2009, -1/+1Thank God it's not one of those "____ Taxpayer Data is ____" titles.
  • directoryweb, on 01/19/2009, -0/+0The taxman needs to keep some of our taxes in their agency to beef up security.

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