Summary
We are quickly approaching the deadline to file tax returns in the United States. However, as you file your tax return, you don’t expect to receive malware in return. Recently, security researchers found that eFile.com was serving malware along with its tax returns. While the malware has since been removed, eFile.com has not made any statements regarding the malware or whether any other user data was compromised.
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As of today, you have only eight days remaining before the infamous deadline to file your U.S. tax return. However, users of one online tax preparation service may have received more than just a refund as they filled out their taxes.
For Personal Tech Media, this is Two Minute Tech. I’m Jim Herman.
Tax scams are nothing new. However, the tax preparation service efile.com was recently serving malware to potential victims as they looked to complete their tax paperwork.
Despite the confusing name, efile.com is separate from the efile system that’s used by the IRS. If you efiled your return using a service that was not efile.com, this alert does not impact you.
However, some people who used efile.com on a Windows computer received a notice that their return could not be processed and that they needed to update their web browser. A file named update.exe was then downloaded to the computer.
It appears this malicious code was available on efile.com for at least two weeks, if not longer. Someone has removed the code, but efile.com has made no public statements regarding whether it fixed the underlying issues or whether users’ personal data is at risk.
For now, I would recommend avoiding efile.com for tax filing. There are many other alternatives available. Until efile.com releases more details, we won’t know if any underlying problems have been fixed.