Identity Theft:

IRS Needs to Strengthen Taxpayer Authentication Efforts

GAO-18-418: Published: Jun 22, 2018. Publicly Released: Jul 23, 2018.

Multimedia:

  • PODCAST: IRS Taxpayer Authentication Efforts

    In the wake of well-publicized, large-scale data breaches, hacks, and cyberattacks affecting private and government organizations alike, we discuss what the IRS is doing to ensure they can authenticate taxpayers' identities and stay current in a changing cyber environment.

    View the transcript

Additional Materials:

Contact:

James R. McTigue, Jr
(202) 512-9110
mctiguej@gao.gov

 

Office of Public Affairs
(202) 512-4800
youngc1@gao.gov

IRS estimates that in 2016 criminals used false identities to try to claim billions in tax refunds. IRS kept $10.5 billion out of their hands, but criminals got at least $1.6 billion. To help address this high risk issue, IRS works to verify the identities of millions of taxpayers each year.

We reviewed IRS’s taxpayer authentication efforts and made 11 recommendations to help IRS stay ahead of fraudsters, including:

prioritizing its authentication initiatives,

estimating the funding and other resources it will need to implement these initiatives, and

developing a process to evaluate potential authentication technologies.

 

Photo of a person at a computer screen looking at a page on IRS.gov and holding a Social Security card and other forms of ID

Photo of a person at a computer screen looking at a page on IRS.gov and holding a Social Security card and other forms of ID

Multimedia:

  • PODCAST: IRS Taxpayer Authentication Efforts

    In the wake of well-publicized, large-scale data breaches, hacks, and cyberattacks affecting private and government organizations alike, we discuss what the IRS is doing to ensure they can authenticate taxpayers' identities and stay current in a changing cyber environment.

    View the transcript

Additional Materials:

Contact:

James R. McTigue, Jr
(202) 512-9110
mctiguej@gao.gov

 

Office of Public Affairs
(202) 512-4800
youngc1@gao.gov

What GAO Found

The Internal Revenue Service (IRS) has identified over 100 interactions requiring taxpayer authentication based on potential risks to IRS and individuals. IRS authenticates millions of taxpayers each year via telephone, online, in person, and correspondence to ensure that it is interacting with legitimate taxpayers. IRS's estimated costs to authenticate taxpayers vary by channel.

Taxpayers Authenticated for Selected IRS Programs, 2017 Taxpayers Authenticated for Selected IRS Programs, 2017 img data-cke-saved-src=

Notes: Numbers are rounded to the nearest hundred and represent successful authentications. Cost information is rounded to the nearest dollar unless otherwise noted. Data are for IRS's Taxpayer Protection Program, Get Transcript, Identity Protection Personal Identification Number, and taxpayer online accounts.

IRS has made progress on monitoring and improving authentication, including developing an authentication strategy with high-level strategic efforts. However, it has not prioritized the initiatives supporting its strategy nor identified the resources required to complete them, consistent with program management leading practices. Doing so would help IRS clarify relationships between its authentication efforts and articulate resource needs relative to expected benefits. Further, while IRS regularly assesses risks to and monitors its online authentication applications, it has not established equally rigorous internal controls for its telephone, in-person, and correspondence channels, including mechanisms to collect reliable, useful data to monitor authentication outcomes. As a result, IRS may not identify current or emerging threats to the tax system.

IRS can further strengthen authentication to stay ahead of fraudsters. While IRS has taken preliminary steps to implement National Institute of Standards and Technology's (NIST) new guidance for secure digital authentication, it does not have clear plans and timelines to fully implement it by June 2018, as required by the Office of Management and Budget. As a result, IRS may not be positioned to address its most vulnerable authentication areas in a timely manner. Further, IRS lacks a comprehensive process to evaluate potential new authentication technologies. Industry representatives, financial institutions, and government officials told GAO that the best authentication approach relies on multiple strategies and sources of information, while giving taxpayers options for actively protecting their identity. Evaluating alternatives for taxpayer authentication will help IRS avoid missing opportunities for improving authentication.

Why GAO Did This Study

Strong preventive controls can help IRS defend itself against identity theft refund fraud. These controls include taxpayer authentication—the process by which IRS verifies identities before allowing people access to a resource; sensitive data; or, in some cases, a tax refund. The risk of fraud has increased as more personally identifiable information has become available as a result of, for example, large-scale cyberattacks on various entities. IRS's ability to continuously monitor and improve taxpayer authentication is a critical step in protecting billions of dollars from fraudsters.

GAO was asked to examine IRS's efforts to authenticate taxpayers. This report (1) describes the taxpayer interactions that require authentication and IRS's methods; (2) assesses what IRS is doing to monitor and improve taxpayer authentication; and (3) determines what else, if anything, IRS can do to strengthen taxpayer authentication in the future.

To meet these objectives, GAO reviewed IRS documents and data, evaluated IRS processes against relevant federal internal control standards and guidance, and interviewed IRS officials and state and industry representatives.

What GAO Recommends

GAO is making 11 recommendations to IRS to estimate resources for and prioritize its authentication initiatives, address internal control issues to better monitor authentication, develop a plan to fully implement new NIST guidance, and develop a process to evaluate potential authentication technologies. IRS agreed with GAO's recommendations.

For more information, contact James R. McTigue, Jr. at (202) 512-9110 or mctiguej@gao.gov.

Recommendations for Executive Action

  1. Status: Open

    Comments: When we confirm what actions the agency has taken in response to this recommendation, we will provide updated information.

    Recommendation: The Commissioner of Internal Revenue should direct the Identity Assurance Office, in collaboration with other IRS business partners, to estimate the resources (i.e., financial and human) required for the foundational initiatives and supporting activities identified in its Identity Assurance Strategy and Roadmap. (Recommendation 1)

    Agency Affected: Department of the Treasury: Internal Revenue Service

  2. Status: Open

    Comments: When we confirm what actions the agency has taken in response to this recommendation, we will provide updated information.

    Recommendation: Based on the estimates developed in Recommendation 1, the Commissioner of Internal Revenue should direct the Identity Assurance Office to prioritize foundational initiatives in its Identity Assurance Strategy and Roadmap. (Recommendation 2)

    Agency Affected: Department of the Treasury: Internal Revenue Service

  3. Status: Open

    Comments: When we confirm what actions the agency has taken in response to this recommendation, we will provide updated information.

    Recommendation: The Commissioner of Internal Revenue should establish a policy for conducting risk assessments for telephone, in-person, and correspondence channels for authentication. This policy should include, for example, the frequency of assessments to be performed and timeframes for addressing deficiencies. (Recommendation 3)

    Agency Affected: Department of the Treasury: Internal Revenue Service

  4. Status: Open

    Comments: When we confirm what actions the agency has taken in response to this recommendation, we will provide updated information.

    Recommendation: Consistent with the policy developed in Recommendation 3, the Commissioner of Internal Revenue should direct the Identity Assurance Office and IRS business owners to develop a plan for performing risk assessments for telephone, in-person, and correspondence channels for authentication. (Recommendation 4)

    Agency Affected: Department of the Treasury: Internal Revenue Service

  5. Status: Open

    Comments: When we confirm what actions the agency has taken in response to this recommendation, we will provide updated information.

    Recommendation: The Commissioner of Internal Revenue should establish a mechanism to collect data on outcomes for telephone, in-person, and correspondence authentication, consistent with federal standards for internal control. (Recommendation 5)

    Agency Affected: Department of the Treasury: Internal Revenue Service

  6. Status: Open

    Comments: When we confirm what actions the agency has taken in response to this recommendation, we will provide updated information.

    Recommendation: The Commissioner of Internal Revenue should revise or establish, as appropriate, procedures to ensure data quality in the Account Management Services (AMS) consistent with federal standards for internal control. (Recommendation 6)

    Agency Affected: Department of the Treasury: Internal Revenue Service

  7. Status: Open

    Comments: When we confirm what actions the agency has taken in response to this recommendation, we will provide updated information.

    Recommendation: The Commissioner of Internal Revenue should ensure that IRS business units have access to complete AMS data to monitor authentication performance and identify potential issues. (Recommendation 7)

    Agency Affected: Department of the Treasury: Internal Revenue Service

  8. Status: Open

    Comments: When we confirm what actions the agency has taken in response to this recommendation, we will provide updated information.

    Recommendation: The Commissioner of Internal Revenue should direct the Identity Assurance Office and other appropriate business partners to develop a plan--including a timeline, milestone dates, and resources needed--for implementing changes to its online authentication programs consistent with new NIST guidance. (Recommendation 8)

    Agency Affected: Department of the Treasury: Internal Revenue Service

  9. Status: Open

    Comments: When we confirm what actions the agency has taken in response to this recommendation, we will provide updated information.

    Recommendation: In accordance with the plan developed in Recommendation 8, the Commissioner of Internal Revenue should implement improvements to IRS's systems to fully implement NIST's new guidance. (Recommendation 9)

    Agency Affected: Department of the Treasury: Internal Revenue Service

  10. Status: Open

    Comments: When we confirm what actions the agency has taken in response to this recommendation, we will provide updated information.

    Recommendation: The Commissioner of Internal Revenue should develop a repeatable, comprehensive process to identify and evaluate alternative options for improving taxpayer authentication, including technologies in use by industry, states, or other trusted partners. (Recommendation 10)

    Agency Affected: Department of the Treasury: Internal Revenue Service

  11. Status: Open

    Comments: When we confirm what actions the agency has taken in response to this recommendation, we will provide updated information.

    Recommendation: Based on the approach developed in Recommendation 10, the Commissioner of Internal Revenue should include and prioritize these options, as appropriate, in IRS's Identity Assurance Strategy and Roadmap. (Recommendation 11)

    Agency Affected: Department of the Treasury: Internal Revenue Service

 

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