Security News > 2020 > July > Vermont Taxpayers Warned of Data Leak Over the Past Three Years

The Vermont Department of Taxes may have been exposing taxpayer data that could be used in credential scams for more than three years due to a vulnerability in its online tax filing system.

A notice posted on the department's website warned taxpayers who filed a Property Transfer Tax return through the department's online filing site between Feb. 1, 2017, and July 2, 2020, may have had their personal information leaked.

One of the most recent examples of how it can be used came during the early days of the Covid-19 outbreak in the United States, when threat actors were seen on hacker forums buying and selling taxpayer data to use it to steal various U.S. government pandemic appropriations as well as 2020 tax refunds.

Despite their belief that no data was leaked, the Vermont tax department is encouraging anyone who filed property tax returns during the time frame affected to take the situation seriously.

The department also provided contact information so taypayers can report any suspicious activity related to their data or to discuss any concerns they might have with the Vermont tax agency.

News URL

https://threatpost.com/vermont-taxpayers-warned-of-data-leak-over-the-past-three-years/157856/