Watchdog Blasts IRS for ‘Significant Deficiencies’ That Put Sensitive Taxpayer Data at Risk

The Internal Revenue Service (IRS) is facing criticism for a handful of operational shortcomings, with a government watchdog taking the tax agency to task for several “significant deficiencies” in the areas of security management and access controls, including one that puts sensitive taxpayer data at risk. A recent audit of the IRS by the Government Accountability Office (GAO) revealed three new significant deficiencies that relate to IT systems, the watchdog said in its April 25 report, which describes all of the shortcomings as “sensitive in nature.” Specifically, the watchdog identified deficiencies in the areas of access control, configuration management, and security management....