THE Bureau of Internal Revenue (BIR) said some taxpayer profile information may have been exposed following cybersecurity incidents reported last week, although the agency maintained that tax filing and payment records were not compromised.
In an advisory dated Nov. 10, the BIR said it was investigating incidents reported on Nov. 6 and 7 and had taken steps to preserve evidence and determine the extent of affected records.
“The initial findings further indicate that certain taxpayer profile information may have been exposed,” it said.
The agency added that no taxpayer information had been altered or lost and that its database infrastructure remained intact.
The BIR is conducting a forensic investigation with the Cybercrime Investigation and Coordinating Center and the Department of Information and Communications Technology-National Computer Emergency Response Team.
Taxpayers were advised to change passwords, enable multi-factor authentication and monitor accounts for suspicious activity. — Justine Irish D. Tabile