Going all out on e-Filing digital security

WITH security a priority, the Inland Revenue Board (IRB) has adopted public key infrastructure security features to protect taxpayers’ data on its e-Filing system from getting hacked, says IRB media officer Masrun Maslim.

Hacking has become a big public concern in view of the unprecedented number of global data leaks, breaches and theft reported last year.

From global ransom campaigns to Yahoo email hack and Malaysia’s mobile data breach that put the personal data of some 46.2 million mobile service subscribers at risk, the growing cyber attacks have raised concerns about the security of personal information stored by companies and public agencies.

And with more than 4.3 million taxpayers of all categories – individuals, partnerships, employers and corporations – utilising the IRB’s e-Filing option last year (as of Oct 31, 2017), it is not surprising that some are raising concerns about the integrity of the country’s online tax platform.

There are even those who are seriously considering going offline when the e-Filing for individuals, businesses, partnerships, employers and association opens on March 1.

The IRB has given assurance that its public key infrastructure features will ensure confidentiality and authentication, as well as avoid data forgery.

Public key infrastructure is a public key cryptography that secures emails, messaging applications, websites and other forms of communication.

It is reportedly the most predominant measure adopted by e-commerce, online banking and Internet gaming industries, among others, to bolster their information security and protect users, networks, data and critical business systems.

Increasingly integral to modern operating systems, commercial security products and custom-built systems, public key operations are used to encrypt data and ensure privacy, to digitally sign documents and messages, to attest to their integrity and authenticity, or to authenticate users and systems and control access.

According to Masrun, the IRB has also equipped its online platform with a Secure Socket Layer (SSL) to ensure the security of data during the submission of income tax return form via the Internet.

Other security features such as Firewalls, antivirus applications and the Intrusion Prevention System (IPS) will prevent malicious access and other cyber intrusion threats to IRB’s system and network security.

To raise the level of taxpayer confidence in the e-Filing system further, IRB has set up an e-Filing Disaster Recovery Centre.

With real-time and periodically run database backup processes, the e-Filing system is ensured to always be at its optimum capacity.

As Masrun sums up, IRB’s information security standards can be verified by its ISO Certification which recognises the board’s systematic and holistic approach to information security and integrity of the e-Filing operations.