IRS hacked, 100000 tax accounts breached2015-05-27 10:33 by DanielaTags: IRS, security
Hackers have penetrated into Internal Revenue Service's systems and have stolen personal data of more than 100,000 taxpayers. The attackers have used stolen information from other sources in order to gain access to the IRS's website through the service called "Get Transcript". The sensitive data includes Social Security numbers, street addresses and dates of birth. The service has been temporarily shut down. "We're confident that these are not amateurs," John Koskinen, the I.R.S. commissioner, said. "These actually are organized crime syndicates that not only we but everybody in the financial industry are dealing with." "Get Transcript" allows taxpayers to download tax return and tax payment transaction data. After stealing the transcripts, the hackers had even more information. Not only this, but they have requested fake tax returns and other filings, which cost the government nearly $50 million. "The IRS notes this issue does not involve its main computer system that handles tax filing submission; that system remains secure," the agency said in a statement." In all, about 200,000 attempts were made from questionable email domains, with more than 100,000 of those attempts successfully clearing authentication hurdles," the agency said. "During this filing season, taxpayers successfully and safely downloaded a total of approximately 23 million transcripts." Read more -here-
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