Network Security News

TIGTA finds IRS network security threat

Friday, September 5, 2008

The Treasury Inspector General for Tax Administration (TIGTA) has found more than 1,500 unauthorized web servers on the Internal Revenue Service's (IRS) network, leaving systems vulnerable to attack from hackers.

In September 2007, the group ran network security checks on the servers attached to its system and found that of those identified as having vulnerabilities, 87 per cent were not listed on its internal database.

"Unauthorized servers pose a greater risk because the IRS has no way to ensure that they will be continually configured in accordance with security standards and patched when new vulnerabilities are identified," TIGTA wrote in the report.

Follow-up tests conducted in March found that of the 2,093 servers examined, 437 had high-risk network security vulnerabilities.

To rectify the problem, the report urged network security teams at the IRS to take control of web registration programs in order to block unauthorized access.

In other developments, earlier this year TIGTA conducted an IRS tax forum presentation to alert employees to the risk that phishing scams pose to tax professionals.ADNFCR-1765-ID-18766636-ADNFCR

Related News:

Zeus botnet performs MySpace spam campaign to spread itself further - 11.20.2009
A sophisticated Trojan dubbed "Zeus" has sent a flood of email messages to MySpace users in an attempt to propagate itself onto more computers, according to researchers at the University of Alabama at Birmingham.

Experts dissect Chrome OS security features - 11.20.2009
Yesterday's release of Google's groundbreaking new cloud-based operating system, Chrome OS, has caused a stir in techie circles, with experts of all stripes rushing to examine the product and issue their judgments.

Microsoft counts Chrome coup with discovery of security flaw - 11.20.2009
Security researchers at Microsoft recently discovered a security vulnerability in Google's controversial Chrome Frame for Internet Explorer, a browser plug-in that simulates Chrome functionality within an Internet Explorer session.

iPhone user sues games maker, claiming to have found hidden spyware - 11.18.2009
An iPhone gamer filed a federal lawsuit against mobile game programmer Storm8 today, alleging that the company violated his privacy by including hidden code in its games that gathered his personal information without permission.

Government watchdog warns of possible IT leaks at Los Alamos - 11.16.2009
The Government Accountability Office has issued a report on data security at the Los Alamos National Laboratory which says that sensitive and highly classified information is vulnerable to outside access.
View Related Resources
Or
Watch an Online Demo
Or
Have us call you now