A Tax Season Cybersecurity Primer: 3 Ways to Keep your Information Safe

‘Tis the season to be filing taxes --and hackers know this. With so many Americans filing their taxes electronically, the potential for sensitive information to fall into the wrong hands is high during this time period. While you are crunching numbers and scanning documents, remember to keep your tax records secure. Whether personal or for business, cybersecurity begins with you. 

Although the IRS estimates that it identifies and prevents 90% of fraudulent tax returns, the 2018 Thales Threat Report indicates 57% of federal agencies experienced a data breach in the past year. And America’s cybersecurity emergency keeps getting worse.

Here are 3 ways to keep important information safe during this season and all year long:

• The IRS recommends that if you retain electronic records on your computer, always have a backup drive, in case your hard drive crashes. Encrypt the files both on your computer and on the backup drives you use. (This may entail purchasing encryption software).
• Remember that even though you may have cybersecurity software with firewall and anti-virus protections running, you operate as the critically important Human Firewall. Learn to identify and avoid phishing emails, threatening calls and texts from thieves who will try to masquerade as your bank, credit card company and even the IRS. If you cannot be sure about the origin of an e-mail attachment, or if it simply looks suspicious, do not open it.
• Before you dispose of an old computer, phone, tablet or back-up hard drive, wipe the drives clean first to ensure you remove all personal data. In some cases, this will require purchasing special disk utility software. Better to be safe than to have to confront tax-related identity theft.

Education is key to staying on top of and even ahead of information and cybersecurity. Want to learn more about securing your computer and network, whether in the office or at home? Download our Security in Layers white paper.