U S Government Accountability Office

Information Security U S Government Accountability Office

"TheInternal Revenue Service (IRS) has a demanding responsibility in collecting taxes, processing tax returns, and enforcing the nation's tax laws. It relies extensively on computerized systems to support its financial and mission-related operations and on information security controls to protect financial and sensitive taxpayer information that resides on those systems. As part of its audit of IRS's fiscal years 2010 and 2009 financial statements, GAO assessed whether controls over key financial and tax processing systems are effective in ensuring the confidentiality, integrity, and availability of financial and sensitive taxpayer information. To do this, GAO examined IRS information security policies, plans, and procedures; tested controls over key financial applications; and interviewed key agency officials at four sites. GAO recommends that IRS take eight actions to fully implement key components of its comprehensive information security program. In a separate report with limited distribution, GAO is recommending 32 specific actions for correcting newly identified control weaknesses. In commenting on a draft of this report, IRS agreed to develop a..."