APNewsBreak: IRS says thieves stole tax info from 100,000

[Omaha Steve]

Source: AP-Excite

By STEPHEN OHLEMACHER

WASHINGTON (AP) — Thieves used an online service provided by the IRS to gain access to information from more than 100,000 taxpayers, the agency said Tuesday.

The information included tax returns and other tax information on file with the IRS.

The IRS said the thieves accessed a system called "Get Transcript." 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 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.

FULL story at link.



Read more: http://apnews.excite.com/article/20150526/us--irs-breach-175f4a63b7.html

[onethatcares]

1. I feel so much better knowing

"the IRS notes this issue does not involve..................................................; that system remains secure".

I mean who else ya gonna trust in these matters?

[valerief]

2. Oh, well, as long as our personal is secure--except for the personal info they control that isn't.

[a kennedy]

3. Will we be notified?

[allan01]

4. if you jackasses want my personal information so bad . pay me $15.00 a shot . i hope you guys swing

get a real job

[lady lib]

5. Lovely. I used the "Get Transcript" service a couple of months ago.

I wonder if the IRS will let me know if I'm one of the unlucky 100,000.

[0rganism]

6. if someone gets ahold of your SocSec number, your financial security is seriously compromised

"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."

once a thief has your SocSec number and can associate it with your legal name, the rest is relatively simple.

[Thor_MN]

8. The problem isn't the social security number, it is systems that use to verify your identity.

Said another way, the social security number is your UserID, it should NEVER be used as a password. If anyone requests your SSN or part of it to verify your identity, you should tell them that is not acceptable. Use it as my account number and I don't care. Use it as my password, and I have major issues.

If anyone wants your SSN, it's out there. Don't allow it to be used as a password, to verify your identity.

[Psephos]

11. using SSN as UID is a security mistake, too

SSN should never be used except under force of law. Crypto 101.

[Thor_MN]

12. Ridiculous. It is nothing more than a unique ID for a US citizen.

What are you going to do, assign each person a different random number for every transaction? Real World 101.

[Psephos]

13. read this for a concise explanation of why

http://www.theverge.com/2012/9/26/3384416/social-security-numbers-national-ID-identity-theft-nstic

[Thor_MN]

14. I suggest you read it, it says the same thing that I did.

It talks about using the SSN to validate someone's ID, i.e. as a password. As a userID it isn't anymore reavealing than your name and address. The danger is when it is used as a password.

"The SSN is the ultimate password because it’s always the same, whether you’re talking to your bank or your doctor, and so many companies use it to authenticate customers over the phone."

[L0oniX]

7. I guess the NSA and Patriot Act doesn't protect us where it counts.

[Hoppy]

9. What is the "Get Transcript" service. When would one use it?

[GusBob]

10. I was one of them

Luckily nothing came of it