The Internal Revenue Service needs to improve the security of its Automated Collection System, a telephone contact system used to collect unpaid taxes and secure tax returns from delinquent taxpayers, according to a new government report.
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The Automated Collection System is a critical component that grants IRS employees significant access to sensitive taxpayer information to help enhance compliance activities, said TIGTA Inspector General J. Russell George in a statement. The IRS must implement additional security controls to protect sensitive taxpayer information from potential harm. When users are granted excessive access privileges, the risk increases for malicious actions and the unauthorized disclosure of taxpayer data.
TIGTA made 12 recommendations to the IRS to improve its management of employee access to the ACS and the sensitive data it contains from potential harm. The IRS agreed with 10 of the recommendations and stated that it is already taking corrective actions.