Data security

A look at the major developments from the past year.

To help preparers get ready for tax season, NCCPAP president Stephen Mankowski shares the top issues they should bear in mind.

Declining manpower continues to sap the Internal Revenue Service’s ability to pursue criminal cases, as the number of new investigations dropped by 11 percent over the past year and recommendations for prosecution fell by 18 percent.

The Internal Revenue Service issued a warning Wednesday to taxpayers and tax professionals about a new email scam targeting Hotmail users in which the thieves try to steal personal and financial information.

Effectively immediately, tax pros must register through a new ID-proofing process.

Accountants making data security education a priority for their clients could mean the difference between success and failure.

As firms increase the number of Internet-enabled products they’re connected to, they take on additional risk. Here’s how to combat the danger.

A new report from the Government Accountability Office suggests the Internal Revenue Service should increase its efforts to collaborate with the tax preparation industry and state tax authorities in the battle against identity theft and tax fraud.

The Internal Revenue Service isn’t doing enough to ensure that Electronic Filing Identification Numbers are assigned to qualified applicants or deactivated when needed, according to a new report.

The Top 100 Firm acquired a local technology consultancy to expand its services.

Outgoing Internal Revenue Service Commissioner John Koskinen foresees problems with tax reform if major provisions apply to the current tax year and predicted the agency would need more funding from Congress to implement the legislation if it passes.

Target: CPAs

The Internal Revenue Service said Monday that it was able to transition most of its e-Services user applications to a new platform over the weekend, although it reiterated its warning Friday of delays in moving to new authentication technology.

The Internal Revenue Service has not been able to upgrade its online e-Services applications to a more secure authentication method, the IRS admitted Friday.

The Internal Revenue Service, working in partnership with state tax authorities and the tax preparation industry as part of their Security Summit initiative, reported significant progress Tuesday in the battle against tax-related identity theft, with new steps planned for next tax season.

The Public Company Accounting Oversight Board will be looking out for some major risk areas at audit firms in the months ahead.

The Internal Revenue Service has suspended its $7.25 million contract with Equifax after the company admitted to finding a malware link on its website on the heels of a data breach that exposed the personal information of approximately 146 million people in the U.S.

PMB Helin Donovan’s Houston offices (and Atlanta-based data) emerged from hurricane season unscathed, due to a decision made three years ago to move to a cloud-hosted environment.

Accountants are to hackers as honey is to bees. Here are four key areas to focus on to prevent security breaches.

Efficiencies could have freed up $67 million in tech spending, a TIGTA study finds.