[ISN] TIGTA: The IRS lacks secure Web servers

From: InfoSec News <alerts_at_private>
Date: Fri, 5 Sep 2008 04:42:47 -0500 (CDT)
http://www.fcw.com/online/news/153690-1.html

By Mary Mosquera
FCW.com
September 4, 2008

Unauthorized and insecure Web servers connect to the Internal Revenue 
Service’s network, which puts the agency’s computers and entire network 
at risk of unauthorized access to taxpayer and personally identifiable 
information, the Treasury Inspector General for Tax Administration said 
in a recent report [1].

The IRS has 1,811 unapproved internal Web servers on the network and 
2,093 internal Web servers that have some security weaknesses, the TIGTA 
report, released Sept. 3, states.

The IRS requires that business units register all internal Web sites and 
Web servers with the Modernization and Information Technology Services 
organization, but some fail to register their servers, the report 
states. The IRS might block unregistered servers from sharing 
information with the network.

Because no office had responsibility for the Web registration program, 
the IRS has not enforced the requirement, allowing Web servers to 
connect to the network without proper authorization and accountability, 
the report states.

[1] http://www.ustreas.gov/tigta/auditreports/2008reports/200820159fr.pdf

[...]


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Received on Fri Sep 05 2008 - 02:42:47 PDT

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