The Internal Revenue Service and Security Summit partners issued six security safeguards to help tax professionals protect their computers and email to safeguard sensitive taxpayer data.
All tax professionals must enact security safeguards. The “Security Six” protections are the second in a series called “Protect Your Clients; Protect Yourself: Tax Security 101.”
The Six Security Safeguards are:
- Antivirus software, to automatically or manually scan computers for protection against malware, spyware and phishing
- Firewalls, to protect unnecessary network traffic and malicious software from accessing the network
- Two-factor authentication, to access emails by adding an extra layer of protection
- Backup software and services, to back up critical files routinely
- Drive encryption, to transform data on the computer into unreadable files for the unauthorized person accessing the computer
- A written data security plan as required by the Federal Trade Commission and its Safeguards Rule
Tax practitioners were advised to review the recently revised IRS Publication 4557, Safeguarding Taxpayer Data, and Small Business Information Security: the Fundamentals by the National Institute of Standards and Technology. In addition, tax practitioners were encouraged to review Publication 5293, Data Security Resource Guide for Tax Professionals, which provides a compilation data theft information available on IRS.gov. Tax professionals can stay connected to the IRS by subscribing to e-News for Tax Professionals, QuickAlerts and Social Media.
Matthews, Carter & Boyce implements the six security safeguards and will continue to implement safety measures to protect taxpayer information. To learn more about the tax practice at Matthews, Carter & Boyce, visit us at mcb-staging.mkrhoym8-liquidwebsites.com or call 703-218-3600.