House Ways and Means Committee Chairman Paul Ryan (R-WI) and Oversight Subcommittee Chairman Peter Roskam (R-IL) last week demanded the Internal Revenue Service (IRS) provide information on a recent data breach.
“Taxpayer confidence in the Internal Revenue Service’s (IRS) ability to safeguard personal information is critical to our nation’s system of voluntary tax compliance,” the Congressmen wrote in a letter sent to IRS Commissioner John Koskinen. “The IRS’s announcement that cyber attackers took advantage of IRS system vulnerabilities to access 104,000 taxpayers’ confidential information is a profound mission failure.”
The letter also discussed concerns about reports from the Government Accountability Office regarding deficiencies in the systems designed to secure information at the IRS, including a lack of sufficient security for identity and access management, which left the systems vulnerable to cyberattacks.
“We are writing to inquire about the full extent of the breach, including whether these crimes were facilitated by known system weaknesses and what steps the IRS is taking to prevent any further breaches,” the letter continued.
The lawmakers listed 14 specific questions regarding the deficiencies and required system improvements, demanding a response by June 11. Additionally, they requested a full briefing on the cyberattack and data breach by June 12.
“The IRS has a responsibility to protect taxpayer information from unauthorized access and attacks,” the letter concluded. “Clearly, the agency needs to do more.”