Exhaustive cybersecurity review launched at IRS amid privacy concerns

FedScoop reports that the Internal Revenue Service was noted by its CEO Frank Bisignano to be conducting a "thorough" cybersecurity review as Democratic lawmakers question the agency about its data-sharing agreement with Immigration and Customs Enforcement and broader protections for taxpayer information.

Risks are being regularly reviewed by the IRS as part of its oversight process while broader cybersecurity evaluations are underway, said Bisignano before the House Ways & Means Committee. Rep. Richard Neal, D-Mass., raised concerns about several privacy controversies tied to the agency's handling of taxpayer information, including ongoing litigation over the IRS data-sharing agreement with Immigration and Customs Enforcement, reports that the Department of Government Efficiency accessed personally identifiable information, and a past contractor leak that exposed the tax returns of high-profile individuals such as President Donald Trump and Jeff Bezos.

On the other hand, Rep. Suzan DelBene, D-Wash., cited a federal judge's recent opinion stating the IRS violated federal law "approximately 42,695 times" when taxpayer addresses were shared with the Department of Homeland Security through an improper matching process. Bisignano said those events occurred before he took over, but acknowledged it is now his "responsibility to get it right," while declining to comment further because of ongoing litigation.