SARS leaks over 30,000 e-mail addresses

[HavocXphere]

“SARS will not hesitate to take the strongest legal action against anyone found to have saved, used or distributed the list of e-mail addresses,”

Fcks up....threatens to sue everyone except the people responsible. Real smooth.

 

[Tomtomtom]

The fact that they're using csv's is bad enough.

I wonder if that's how they store passwords as well.

 

[Mike Hoxbig]

I wonder if that's how they store passwords as well.

Well that's what concerns me - is everything else also being stored in plain text?

 

[Diesal]

Human error? Hey?

Grounds for Dismissal?

 

[Milano]

“SARS will not hesitate to take the strongest legal action against anyone found to have saved, used or distributed the list of e-mail addresses"

Legal action against someone for retrieving email originating from SARS via an email client which stores email on the user's pc? Good luck with that.

 

[freematrix]

I got a list from SARS of 20 000 addresses. It was called "file 5" with exactly 20 000 addresses. My address was on the list. I am pissed about this. Therefore I think they may have sent over 100 000 address out people.

 

[Vrotappel]

I am pretty sure this is not the first time this has happened. I recall a similar incident a couple of years ago.

OK. found this:

Are your details safe with Sars?

 

[nelwa]

SARS' IT pretty much sucks - what about their new site where you now all of a sudden have to complete your VAT or other tax returns with Adobe Flash or Adobe Acrobat Reader...both those software packages are known to contain loads of security holes and other issues. The Flash version on their site doesn't even load properly...at least not in firefox. I wonder what was wrong with the old html form? That worked perfectly and was cross browser compatible, and didn't require 3rd party addons...

 

[Xyber]

All I read is Klingon

SARS' IT pretty much sucks - what about their new site where you now all of a sudden have to complete your VAT or other tax returns with Adobe Flash or Adobe Acrobat Reader...both those software packages are known to contain loads of security holes and other issues. The Flash version on their site doesn't even load properly...at least not in firefox. I wonder what was wrong with the old html form? That worked perfectly and was cross browser compatible, and didn't require 3rd party addons...

+1 .. what the heck is wrong with these web developers thinking it is a good idea to use 3rd party junk like that.

 

[markings]

How SARS will track down such folks I don't know, but at least no-one can say "but I didn't know" now.

It is a good thing that SARS warns people who want to make use of this that they should not just send it on where it could be tracked via the ISP, but should save it to a memory stick and take that outside of South Africa where SARS will be able to do nothing at all about it.

 

[Creag]

To be honest I'm not that interested in seeing people get fired - I'd much prefer to know that stuff like this won't happen in future.

Agree. And lessons are learnt.

 

[SilverNodashi]

Is it still a crime if they gave the email addresses away?
And do you think they'll tax the people who'll sell those lists?


On a more serious note, they probably used Microsoft Office's Mail Merge to send out the mails and attached the wrong wrong files to the mails?

 

[Spectrum1]

Not the first time.
Got one like this last year.
±15000.
First time I have gotten something worthwhile back from SARS.

 

[GuileX]

what makes you think this was a mistake. sounds more like a disgruntled employee.

 

[devilfp]

They wants to take strong action against people using it but what about them?!?!

 

[unrealchris]

Yeah sure

“SARS will not hesitate to take the strongest legal action against anyone found to have saved, used or distributed the list of e-mail addresses,” the mail said, citing section 4(2A) of the Income Tax Act.

If someone uses these emails address for spam, how can SARS actually say that the email address was from the emails send out. The spammer could have gotten it from another source.

Idiots

 

[Ludjer]

It is a good thing that SARS warns people who want to make use of this that they should not just send it on where it could be tracked via the ISP, but should save it to a memory stick and take that outside of South Africa where SARS will be able to do nothing at all about it.

dont be silly one little vpn tunnel to a overseas server and he uploads it to a file sharing or hacking site and bam,
you can never keep complete control of the interenet and monitor people there is always a way to get what you want.

 

[biometrics]

What a massive fail