Treasury Inspector General for Tax Administration. Annual Assessment of the Internal Revenue Service Information Technology Program, September 30, 2015. Reference Number: 2015-20-094
“For FY 2015, TIGTA designated Security for Taxpayer Data and Employees as the IRS’s number one management and performance challenge for the fifth consecutive year. The IRS faces the daunting task of securing its computer systems against the growing threat of cyberattacks. Beyond the cyber threat, effective information systems security is essential to ensure that data are protected against inadvertent or deliberate misuse, improper disclosure, or destruction and that computer operations supporting tax administration are secured against disruption or compromise. Protecting the confidentiality of this sensitive information is paramount. Otherwise, taxpayers could be exposed to loss of privacy and to financial loss and damages resulting from identity theft or other financial crimes. According to the FY 2014 Office of Management and Budget report to Congress, threats to Federal information—whether from insider threat, e.g., mistakes, as well as fraudulent or malevolent acts by employees or contractors working within an organization, criminal elements, or nation states—continue to grow in number and sophistication, creating risks to the reliable functioning of our Government.”