Was the IRS breach unstoppable?

Another hack, another claim of inevitability. It is frustrating to read about the IRS breach and see it declared sophisticated. The following quote, from the IRS commissioner to CNN, is just outright infuriating:

“It was an attack the agency wasn’t well suited to combat, IRS Commissioner Koskinen said. ‘We’re dealing with criminals with a lot of money and using expensive equipment and hiring a lot of smart people.’”

There are two elements of that statement that we can’t argue with: The perpetrators are criminals, and they have a lot of money — now. It’s been reported that $50 million was stolen. That’s a lot of money, and the people who stole it are criminals by definition. But did they have a lot of money, expensive equipment and smart people when they committed the crime? That part is not clear.

To read this article in full or to leave a comment, please click here