IRS fails to protect taxpayer e-mails
E-mail exchanges with IRS staff could be risky
Taxpayers are taking a risk if they decide to exchange e-mail messages with Internal Revenue Service staff members, according to a 2010 audit that found appropriate measures were not taken to ensure the messages were indecipherable to intruders, reports NextGov.
It may take until July 2012 until the IRS will be able to install a tool that can monitor for unprotected e-mails, and meanwhile the service's inspector general has recommended that the IRS terminate communication agreements with filers who continuously fail to code sensitive e-mail messages.