Categories: Data Breach

IRS Data Leak – Over 120,000 User Data Leaked

It has been discovered that over 120,000 taxpayers‘ confidential information was accidentally leaked by the IRS (Internal Revenue Service). As part of their tax returns, all of these individuals filed a form 990-T.

Unrelated business income is reported through IRS Form 990T to tax-exempt entities like:-

  • Nonprofits (charities)
  • IRA retirement accounts
  • SEP retirement accounts

An individual retirement account is an account that pays income from investments such as real estate and sales that are unrelated to the core purpose of the nonprofit or from sales that are unrelated to that purpose.

Data Exposure

Normally, when a taxpayer submits these forms to the IRS, the IRS is the only organization that is able to see them. Despite this, non-profit organizations must retain their Form 990-T for a period of three years after they are filed.

Recently, the Internal Revenue Service discovered that the bulk download section of the TEOS now allows users to download data in a machine-readable format (XML) for Form 990-T.

Approximately 120,000 taxpayer records were exposed by the data leak, including an array of personal information, such as:-

  • Names
  • Contact information
  • Reported financial income data (Within those IRAs)

Moreover, these are some of the things that were not included in the exposure:-

  • Social Security numbers
  • Full individual income information
  • Other data that could affect a taxpayer’s credit

The mistake was discovered in recent weeks by an IRS employee who works in the research department. The data was removed as a result of a more comprehensive investigation that triggered a broader inquiry.

Furthermore, the IRS will begin notifying affected taxpayers as soon as possible within the coming weeks. 

Due to aging information-technology systems, the IRS has had to deal with challenges for quite some time. Consequently, there have been instances in which private taxpayer information has been disclosed as a result.

Secure Azure AD Conditional Access – Download Free White Paper

Gurubaran

Gurubaran is a co-founder of Cyber Security News and GBHackers On Security. He has 10+ years of experience as a Security Consultant, Editor, and Analyst in cybersecurity, technology, and communications.

Recent Posts

Threat Actors Exploit Google Docs And Weebly Services For Malware Attacks

Phishing attackers used Google Docs to deliver malicious links, bypassing security measures and redirecting victims…

8 hours ago

Python NodeStealer: Targeting Facebook Business Accounts to Harvest Login Credentials

The Python-based NodeStealer, a sophisticated info-stealer, has evolved to target new information and employ advanced…

8 hours ago

XSS Vulnerability in Bing.com Let Attackers Send Crafted Malicious Requests

A significant XSS vulnerability was recently uncovered in Microsoft’s Bing.com, potentially allowing attackers to execute…

11 hours ago

Meta Removed 2 Million Account Linked to Malicious Activities

 Meta has announced the removal of over 2 million accounts connected to malicious activities, including…

14 hours ago

Veritas Enterprise Vault Vulnerabilities Lets Attackers Execute Arbitrary Code Remotely

Critical security vulnerability has been identified in Veritas Enterprise Vault, a widely-used archiving and content…

15 hours ago

7-Zip RCE Vulnerability Let Attackers Execute Remote Code

A critical security vulnerability has been disclosed in the popular file archiving tool 7-Zip, allowing…

15 hours ago