Warning: Popular e-file tax site caught spreading malware for weeks

Filing your taxes electronically is a fast and easy way to get the dreaded chore out of the way each year. There are a number of IRS-authorized sites out there, but it seems you can’t even trust that anymore.

Don’t use this site

You’d think that an authorized site would be safe to use, but you’d be wrong. 

A very popular e-file site called eFile.com (yeah, that’s a bit confusing) was caught spreading malware. The timing couldn’t be worse, as more people scramble to file their taxes by the deadline. 

On March 17, 2023, a Redditor posted an error page from eFile.com that claimed a “browser update” was required to access the site. The page looks pretty legit, but clicking the “download” button installs malware targeting Windows PCs. If you’re on a Mac, you weren’t targeted.

Security researchers MalwareHunterTeam tweeted that the malware was still active as of April 3, 2023. Yes, weeks later.

Red flags

While you should always be wary of any error message, especially one with a download link, there were other signs that this was not legitimate:

  • Spelling errors: The word “normally” is spelled as “normaaly.”
  • Punctuation errors: There are no spaces between the periods.
  • Grammar errors: This entire sentence is one big red flag: “When browser tried to connect to this site this time the website sent back unusual and incorrect credentials.” Unusual and incorrect is an understatement!

They’ve gotta do better than that

It’s very concerning that an IRS-approved site didn’t notice that they were spreading malware for weeks. Why don’t they have safeguards in place? Who knows how many people downloaded this junk?

There is some confusion due to the name of the site. Let’s clear it up now: This incident involves the website eFile.com, not the entire e-file system used by the IRS. You can still use other sites like TurboTax and H&R Block.

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