The IRS has publicly apologized to billionaire Ken Griffin and numerous other Americans following a significant data breach that exposed their personal tax information. The breach, orchestrated by IRS contractor Charles Littlejohn between 2018 and 2020, involved unauthorized access to sensitive tax returns, which were subsequently leaked to various media outlets. Littlejohn bypassed IRS safeguards by uploading the data to a private website before sharing it with the press, including tax details belonging to prominent figures like former President Donald Trump and entrepreneur Elon Musk.
In response to the breach, the IRS acknowledged its failure to prevent Littlejohn’s criminal activities and vowed to enhance its data security measures. This commitment comes as part of a settlement to a lawsuit filed by Griffin against the IRS, highlighting the agency’s efforts to address vulnerabilities identified by the Treasury Inspector General for Tax Administration (TIGTA). The IRS has pledged substantial investments in cybersecurity to bolster safeguards and protect taxpayer information from future breaches.
Charles Littlejohn, who was sentenced to five years in prison earlier this year for his role in the data breach, exploited weaknesses in IRS systems to unlawfully obtain and disseminate confidential tax data. The incident underscores ongoing concerns about the security of personal information held by government agencies and the potential impact of such breaches on individuals’ privacy and financial security.
