I’m guessing a lot of heads are going to roll over this latest data breach. It seems that 100,000 Americans have their personal info stolen from the IRS. Here’s what The Associated Press had to say:
The thieves accessed a system called “Get Transcript,” where taxpayers can get tax returns and other filings from previous years. In order to access the information, the thieves cleared a security screen that required knowledge about the taxpayer, including Social Security number, date of birth, tax filing status and street address, the IRS said.
“We’re confident that these are not amateurs,” said IRS Commissioner John Koskinen. “These actually are organized crime syndicates that not only we but everybody in the financial industry are dealing with.”
Koskinen wouldn’t say whether investigators believe the criminals are based overseas — or where they obtained enough personal information about the taxpayers to access their returns. The IRS has launched a criminal investigation. The agency’s inspector general is also investigating.
I don’t need a PHD in cyber crime to figure out what’s going to happen next. It will be identity theft. Not good if you’re one of those who had their personal info stolen. Apparently the system that was breached was accessed hundreds of thousands of times between February and May when the breach was discovered and the system was shut down. That’s why heads are likely to roll. It’s clear that someone was asleep at the switch. Those affected will be notified, but it will be cold comfort as the metaphorical genie is out of the bottle.
One wonders when organizations will take IT security seriously.
Cyber Criminals Steal The Personal Info Of 100K Americans From The IRS
Posted in Commentary with tags hack, IRS on May 26, 2015 by itnerdI’m guessing a lot of heads are going to roll over this latest data breach. It seems that 100,000 Americans have their personal info stolen from the IRS. Here’s what The Associated Press had to say:
The thieves accessed a system called “Get Transcript,” where taxpayers can get tax returns and other filings from previous years. In order to access the information, the thieves cleared a security screen that required knowledge about the taxpayer, including Social Security number, date of birth, tax filing status and street address, the IRS said.
“We’re confident that these are not amateurs,” said IRS Commissioner John Koskinen. “These actually are organized crime syndicates that not only we but everybody in the financial industry are dealing with.”
Koskinen wouldn’t say whether investigators believe the criminals are based overseas — or where they obtained enough personal information about the taxpayers to access their returns. The IRS has launched a criminal investigation. The agency’s inspector general is also investigating.
I don’t need a PHD in cyber crime to figure out what’s going to happen next. It will be identity theft. Not good if you’re one of those who had their personal info stolen. Apparently the system that was breached was accessed hundreds of thousands of times between February and May when the breach was discovered and the system was shut down. That’s why heads are likely to roll. It’s clear that someone was asleep at the switch. Those affected will be notified, but it will be cold comfort as the metaphorical genie is out of the bottle.
One wonders when organizations will take IT security seriously.
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