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Cyberattacks can compromise a taxpayer’s identity and have serious monetary consequences
CHICAGO, March 19, 2024 /PRNewswire/ — The 2024 tax season is just around the corner and millions of Americans are preparing their 2023 tax returns and reports for registration with the U. S. Internal Revenue Service. U. S. Securities and Exchange Commission (IRS). According to the IRS, approximately 213. 4 million (81. 2%) tax returns were recorded electronically in 2022, with non-public tax returns recorded online accounting for an even higher percentage of 92. 8%. As an increasing number of Americans entrust their tax returns to third-party software vendors, it is critical that Americans and businesses remain vigilant about their sensitive personal and financial data in the face of cyber threats.
Keeper Security stores common cyber threats during tax season to help U. S. taxpayers avoid falling victim to them.
Phishing scams. Cybercriminals have become increasingly complicated in their ability to impersonate the IRS, tax preparation companies, and other tax-related organizations to gain access to your monetary and private data. Scammers know that consumers are very worried about potential audits or fines, taking advantage of the merit. from phishing messages that contain alarming language or threats designed to scare recipients into revealing non-public data. Alternatively, attackers can spoof trusted tax preparation facilities to collect data and credentials. Phishing scams can be introduced through phone calls, text messages, emails, and push notifications. To avoid phishing attacks, don’t open attachments or click on links from unknown sources, verify that it’s a trusted source requesting the data, and check the links to make sure they don’t take you to a malicious site. The IRS will not send unsolicited emails, phone calls, or text messages requesting sensitive data or payments.
Ransomware/Malware. Malicious phishing attacks can cause malware, adding ransomware, to be downloaded onto your device. The malware allows hackers to gain access to your tax information, as well as other sensitive assets and credentials stored on your device. Hostile ransomware and malware can save you from accessing your accounts by encrypting your hard drive and requiring payment to regain access. You can stay ahead of this cyber risk by having a reliable backup. Make sure all your sensitive monetary documents are stored in at least one other location, such as as an encrypted virtual vault like Keeper’s Secure File Storage. It’s also vital to make sure you update your software to fix known vulnerabilities and security flaws in previous versions that cybercriminals can exploit. Consider purchasing antivirus software with malware coverage before you start opening sensitive files. documents or log in to a tax preparation service.
Identity theft. Every time you percentage and upload personally identifiable data (PII) online, you run the risk of being spoofed. Identity theft is a bigger cyber threat that should never be taken lightly, especially when downloading highly sensitive and irreplaceable data such as social security numbers and bank accounts. Details. To minimize the threat, it’s imperative to protect your money preparation and tax accounts with strong, unique passwords that are at least 16 characters long and come with uppercase and lowercase letters, numbers, and symbols. Taxpayers also deserve to allow Two-Factor Authentication (2FA) whenever possible, as an additional step in determining their identity during login processes.
Interception of documents. While you can do your best to protect your own sensitive data and documents, there’s no guarantee that third-party tax providers, or even trusted accountants, will meet the same level of security. If you want to share documents, download them and keep them in a secure virtual vault, such as a password manager with encrypted sharing capabilities. It’s a smart idea to avoid public Wi-Fi networks, but it’s imperative to only share sensitive documents over encrypted and trusted Wi-Fi networks. Most public Wi-Fi networks are not encrypted, cybercriminals target those networks to collect the data transmitted to them. Tax documents involve valuable data for cybercriminals, so it’s vital to make sure your network router is up to date with the newest software and protected. through a strong and unique password.
Whether you’re employing third-party tax filing software or communicating virtually with your accountant, it’s imperative to keep an eye out for those non-unusual malicious threats that relentlessly seek access to your sensitive information, credentials, and documents. If they remain diligent, follow cybersecurity best practices, and take the necessary precautions, Americans and organizations will be less likely to fall victim to cybercrime this tax season.
About Keeper SecurityKeeper Security is transforming cybersecurity for other people and organizations around the world. Keeper’s affordable and easy-to-use solutions rely on zero-trust, zero-knowledge security to protect each and every user on each and every device. . Our next-generation privileged access control solution deploys in minutes and integrates seamlessly with any generation stack to prevent breaches, reduce attendance table costs, and ensure compliance. Trusted by millions of Americans and thousands of organizations, Keeper is the leader in passwords. and key control, secret control, privileged access, secure remote access, and encrypted messaging.
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Media Contact Christian Morley Lumina Communications for Keeper Security Keepersecurity@luminapr. com
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