As you no doubt have heard on the news, the IRS recently announced that cyber thieves have gained access to over 100,000 taxpayers’ tax return information. According to a number of news sources, that breach has been traced to Russia.

The criminals did not actually gain access to IRS secure databases by hacking into the IRS computer system. Instead, they simply used an online tool provided by the IRS through which taxpayers are able to obtain transcripts of their previously filed tax returns. That service, called “Get Transcript,” is available to anyone who, with the correct information, can access an individual’s transcripts. The problem is this: the information needed to access “Get Transcript” is readily available from other online sources, which made it easy for the criminals to access a large number of taxpayer accounts. Read More