Configuration management for the Internal Revenue Service system used to contact tax scofflaws needs improvement, according to a newly-released audit from the Treasury Inspector General for Tax Administration.

The system, Automated Collection Support, allows approximately 5,500 tax agency telephone collectors to view individuals' tax data, place and receive calls, and issue liens. During fiscal 2008, IRS use of the system resulted in $4.8 billion worth of collections, the audit states.

The system consists of an IBM mainframe that contains individual case data and a web interface. During a review from March through September 2009, TIGTA auditors found that the tax agency lacked a configuration management plan for ACS. IRS officials said they're working to first complete a higher-level configuration management plan with proper guidance, but that it's not ready and that a date for its completion hasn't been set, the report states.

ACS system administrators also had a vague grasp of the system's hardware inventory. The IRS inventory system doesn't allow queries by project or computer system name; when asked to provide a list of ACS servers, IRS sent TIGTA multiple inventories that all contained inaccuracies. Software changes were also not properly documented, tested and authorized. ACS developers said it would take several days to sort through their software configuration management tool to find all the service packs, service files, custom files and other software objects.

As for ACS cybersecurity, TIGTA found that a number of controls were in place, including automatic employee account suspension and deletion, proper separation of duties and automatic system lockout after three unsuccessful logon attempts.

Still, TIGTA found that the mainframe auditing software was not logging all required events, such as database administrator access to taxpayer data. Some employees also had audit trail modification privileges when they shouldn't have, auditors say.

The IRS has already started some corrective measures, the report states.

For more:
- read TIGTA report 2010-20-028 (.pdf)

Related Articles:
IRS tax collection phone calls could be more efficient, says audit
IRS will tighten tax professional access to portal
IRS not funding program to make taxpayer calls easier