Auditor: Massachusetts Department of Revenue Needs to Better Protect Data

The Massachusetts Department of Revenue needs to do more to protect the security of taxpayer and business data, the state auditor said Monday.

Auditor Suzanne Bump said an audit found the department was not prepared to respond to or mitigate cyberattacks that it or its vendors face. Bump cautioned that inadequate controls could make sensitive taxpayer data, including Social Security numbers and tax payment history, vulnerable to cyberattacks and inappropriate disclosure.

The audit examined the department’s operations from July 1, 2016 through Dec. 31, 2018, and it did not have procedures in place to guide its response to information technology security incidents, Bump said.

In its response to the audit, the revenue department said it’s working to address the issues. It plans to establish a committee to review its information technology governance and resources, and said it’s revising its incident response policy. The department also said it’s also going to convene a group to look at vendor risks.

The department faced a series of incidents during the audit period, including a data breach that exposed private information from about 39,000 business taxpayers, Bump said. She said the department has incredibly sensitive data about every taxpayer and business in Massachusetts and it has a responsibility to do everything it can do to keep it safe.