IRS Urges Tax Pros to Use Multi-Factor Authentication

With security incidents on the rise, IRS is urging tax professionals and taxpayers alike to use multi-factor authentication, which is available on tax software products to help protect against identity and data theft. IRS recommends that tax professionals use multi-factor authentication features anywhere it is offered, such as commercial email products and cloud storage providers.

Multi-factor authentication, also known as two-factor authentication, allows the tax professional or taxpayer to use a security code sent to a mobile device, a pin number, or a fingerprint, in addition to the username and password. A data thief may steal usernames and passwords, but cannot access accounts without the additional multifactor feature.

Federal law requires all professional tax preparers to create and implement a data security plan. IRS also recommends that tax professionals create a data theft response plan, which includes contacting the IRS Stakeholder Liaisons to report a theft. Read more here.

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