State Department of Revenue: Government Agency During Tax Season Peak Operations

Quick Reference

• Organization: Government agency processing tax returns and citizen services, 600 employees handling taxpayer data
• Key Assets at Risk: Taxpayer data security (millions of citizens affected), Government service continuity, Regulatory compliance, Public trust in government data protection
• Business Pressure: Tax season peak operations—any data breach affects millions of taxpayers, government security breach threatens public trust in state agency capability
• Core Dilemma: Continue USB-based tax document collection maintaining government services BUT allows malware propagation through taxpayer data systems, OR Halt USB workflows for containment BUT disrupts tax processing and citizen services during peak season

Detailed Context

Organization Profile

Government agency processing tax returns and citizen services, 600 employees

Key Assets At Risk: - Taxpayer data security - Government service continuity - Regulatory compliance - Public trust

Business Pressure

• Tax season peak operations - any data breach affects millions of taxpayers
• Government security breach threatens public trust

Cultural Factors

• Government auditors routinely use USB drives to collect taxpayer documents and transfer data between field locations and secure office systems
• USB-based malware is spreading through legitimate government workflows, bypassing network security and air-gapped protections
• Infected systems include both taxpayer data processing and government service delivery networks