Computer security problems found at IRS

[TechBear_Seattle]

All who are surprised, raise your hands.

Anyone?

Computer security problems found at IRS

WASHINGTON - IRS employees ignored security rules and turned over sensitive computer information to a caller posing as a technical support person, according to a government study.

Sixty-one of the 102 people who got the test calls, including managers and a contractor, complied with a request that the employee provide his or her user name and temporarily change his or her password to one the caller suggested, according to the Treasury Inspector General for Tax Administration, an office that does oversight of Internal Revenue Service.

The caller asked for assistance to correct a computer problem.

The report said that by failing to question the identity of the caller the employees were putting the IRS at risk of providing unauthorized people access to taxpayer data that could be used for identity theft and other fraudulent schemes.

The article continues at http://news.yahoo.com/s/ap/20070803/ap_on_hi_te/irs_computer_security

[Ezlivin]

1. Time to outsource the IRS, I guess

Or at least get them some decent tech support.