[RL Tax Joe]

News release
ONLINE TAX SERVICES SUSPENDED BY CRA

Ottawa, Ontario, March 6, 2007... Commissioner of the Canada Revenue Agency (CRA) Michel Dorais today instructed some computer applications related to personal income tax filing to be temporarily halted. These applications include online services like Efile, Netfile, and My Account. Mr. Dorais said that he instructed that this preventative measure be taken following indications that CRA computer systems have run into infrastructure problems. In order to safeguard existing systems and to maintain the integrity of CRA's taxpayer information holdings, Mr Dorais ordered tax filing processes halted.

“There is no indication that this situation was caused by intrusion, hacking, or computer virus,” said Mr Dorais. “The security of taxpayer information remains paramount as we strive to understand and correct this situation. Until we can announce a business recovery date, the Agency will provide daily updates to the media on the steps we are taking.”

Agency personnel are fully engaged in resolving this problem and to restore online services. IT specialists are working to return the Agency's personal income tax systems to full functionality as soon as possible. Business tax systems are not directly affected.

“I recognize that this problem may represent a significant inconvenience for Canadians who count on the Canada Revenue Agency for online information and service, “ said Commissioner Dorais.

Mr Dorais expressed his sincere regrets for any inconvenience that Canadians may experience as a result of this problem, and thanked Canadians for their understanding.

[JohnDearin]

This could be bad.

I don't understand, do you understand. My clients don't understand.

John Dearin

[RL Tax Joe]

JohnDearin, on Mar 6 2007, 04:22 PM, said:

This could be bad.

I don't understand, do you understand. My clients don't understand.

John Dearin

I am telling everyone going through here right now that CRA is down indefinitely. Their return will be filed as soon as possible and no sending it by paper will not get it done faster.

[snowplowguy]

Hmmm....... wondering if it may have been the actual CRA Efile site that infected and hi-jacked Nick's browser.....

http://community.int...e...st&p=154088

[unknown]

you are entering the twi light zone...

[unknown]

you just killed me snowplow

you are saying a porn site hacked CRA?


lololol

rofl

[RL Tax Joe]

Bert_Mulder_CGA, on Mar 6 2007, 04:37 PM, said:

you just killed me snowplow

you are saying a porn site hacked CRA?
lololol

rofl

I know we have all been screwed by CRA before....but we never got infections from them :blink:

[snowplowguy]

Bert_Mulder_CGA, on Mar 6 2007, 05:37 PM, said:

you are saying a porn site hacked CRA?

I ain't saying anything ..... I was just thinking out loud.... B)

[unknown]

http://www.canada.co...i...226e059&k=0

Quote

Electronic income-tax services shuttered
No security breach, CRA says
National Post
Published: Tuesday, March 06, 2007
The Canada Revenue Agency has shut down its electronic income-tax filing services, insisting that recent computer problems are not a result of a security breach.

In a release, the agency says it services Efile, Netfile and My Account would not be available as a result of "infrastructure problems." The move comes just as the RRSP season ends and early-bird filers flock to get their refunds back. Recently users looking to submit their taxes on-line have been told that there were technical problems.

Agency head Michel Dorais said that tax filing through those electronic systems have been temporarily halted.


There is no indication that this situation was caused by intrusion, hacking, or computer virus," Mr Dorais said.

"The security of taxpayer information remains paramount as we strive to understand and correct this situation."

He said the agency is working toward bringing the system back up and that business taxes are not affected.

[unknown]

http://www.edmontons...708490-sun.html

Tax return scramble
Feds stop processing, shutdown computers

By JORGE BARRERA, NATIONAL BUREAU

Quote

Canada Revenue Agency was forced to stop processing tax returns and shut down 50% of the federal government's computing power after it detected problems with its databases containing the recent tax filing history of 25 million Canadians.

Online tax services Efile, Netfile and MyAccount have also been suspended until further notice.

Canada Revenue, however, moved to assure Canadians the information had not been corrupted, stolen or erased.

"It is not as serious as that," said Michel Dorais, commissioner and CEO of the Canada Revenue Agency. "It is minimal if anything happened."

Officials and technicians were dumfounded late yesterday over the cause of the problem, which scrambled the way the databases classified information.





SHUTDOWN NEEDED

Dorais said it's believed the problem was triggered by routine maintenance over the weekend.

The problem was worrisome enough to force the shut down of 75 key databases that are stored on mainframe computers and on hundreds of servers around Ottawa. Technicians were worried problems with one database would spread to the others.

Databases containing information on businesses were not affected.

Two experts from New York firm Computer Associates, which designed the software, were expected to arrive last night.

Canada Revenue has a maintenance contract with the firm. It wasn't clear if the service call would be an added expense.

GRADUAL RESTORE

Dorais said the department is keeping track of its costs, but it was too early to tally. Technicians have been working around the clock since yesterday evening's shutdown.

Some of the databases that were shut down, which are used by collections, are expected to go back on line today or tomorrow.

"We will use the next few days to restore it gradually," he said.

Dorais said the department is three weeks away from its peak tax filing season.

As of Feb. 28, the department had received 402,471 paper tax returns, 293,030 returns through Efile, which is used by personal tax agents, and 223,313 returns through Netfile, which is used by individuals.

[unknown]

Quote

Computer glitch shuts down online tax filing system
No security breach, CRA says
Income taxes
Article Tools
Printer friendly
E-mail
Font: * * * * Kathryn May, CanWest News Service
Published: Tuesday, March 06, 2007

OTTAWA - A computer malfunction has forced Canada’s tax agency to shut down all online tax filing as Canadians race to file their personal income tax returns by the April 30 deadline.


And if the problem isn’t resolved within a few days, the agency may have to look at options, including a possible extension of the tax deadline.


“We’re not there yet, but obviously if this lasts longer than a few days we’ll have to start to think about measures, but not at this point,” Michel Dorais, commissioner of the Canada Revenue Agency, said Tuesday.


“We’re fortunate it’s the beginning of the tax season and not the middle. I would rather have this problem now than in two or three weeks from now. I hope to fix it as soon as possible but frankly, it is not worth the risk of turning the switch on without knowing if we diagnosed the problem correctly and fixed it.”


Dorais ordered the shutdown Monday night when the agency discovered “irregularities” that could affect the 75 data bases that handle Canadians’ personal tax information.


The shutdown affects the millions of Canadians who file their tax returns online using the agency’s Efile, Netfile and My Account services.


Dorais said technical experts have yet to pinpoint the problem, but stressed it is an “infrastructure” problem. He said it may be related to maintenance work that was done over the weekend.


He added that causes such as intrusion, a computer virus or a hacker breaking into the system have been ruled out.


For now, the agency has posted a notice of the shutdown on its website and intends to issue daily updates to the media on the steps it’s taking. Canadians who want to file can send in paper returns or wait until the problem is fixed and file electronically.


Dorais said the tax agency has been working around the clock to find the cause of the problem which is “mixing up” data.


“The integrity of the information is not affected. The information is there but it’s not always in the right place,” said Dorais. “It’s like the table of contents or the index (of those data bases) have been mixed up so they don’t correspond to each other... so I froze everything for a couple of days…until we diagnose the problem and then gradually bring them back on line.”


The tax season typically kicks off after the March 1 deadline for RRSPs and reaches a peak in late April. The biggest volume of tax returns typically arrives after the Easter weekend.


A computer glitch of this magnitude could be a serious setback for the agency, which has watched its online services explode in recent years. The agency handles 23 million personal tax returns a year and about half of those are filed using Netfile and Efile.


Netfile and Efile has been open for filing since February and accepts returns 21 hours a day. Most of the returns filed this early in the season come from tax preparers like H&R Block Ltd. and Canadians expecting a refund. Those who owe money tend to to file closer to the deadline.


As of Feb. 25, 480,000 returns have been submitted through Efile, used by tax practitioners and third parties. Paper returns next in volume at 272,000. Netfile, which is individuals sending in their own forms, has been used by 136,000 people. And another 69,000-plus have filed by telephone, Jacqueline Couture, Canada Revenue Agency spokesperson, said from Ottawa Tuesday.


The agency was bringing in a team of experts from Computer Associates in New York late Tuesday night to help find and fix the problem.


Returns for those who have received their Netfile confirmation should be in the system and will be processed without any interruption, officials said.



The shutdown has inconvenienced tax filers such as Angel Compton, who was hoping to get a quick $500 tax refund this week.


The Winnipeg woman filed her return with a national firm that has suspended its instant cash refund until the CRA fixes its problems.


"I’m having day surgery (Wednesday) and I was hoping to have the $500," Compton said. "I signed the return and I can’t go anywhere else. I’ll just have to wait."


While smaller tax preparation firms have suspended instant refunds, a spokesman for H&R Block said it’s continuing to issue instant refunds even if the CRA system is down.


Cleo Hamel, a senior tax analyst with H&R Block’s Calgary office, said H&R Block has 900 offices across the country and could be filing anywhere between 70,000 and 100,000 daily to CRA via the Internet. But even being such a big player in the industry hasn’t helped H&R Block.


"We’ve tried to phone to find out what’s going on but we can’t get through to anyone," Hamel said. "We just get the same recorded message that they’re working on the problem."


Ottawa Citizen with files from the Winnipeg Free Press and Victoria Times Colonist

© CanWest News Service

[unknown]

Just talked to someone from CRA Employer Services, said likely to be down all week. Cannot process anything right now in the area of Employer Services or T1.

Latest email:

Quote

English Version *** La version française suit ***

Our technical difficulties continue.

These problems are affecting your ability to use EOL+ (batch), SEND and EOL.

We apologize for the inconvenience and assure you we are doing what we can to remedy the situation as soon as possible. Further updates to follow.

Thank you

********************************************************************************
*******

Version française *** The English version precedes ***

Nous continuons d'éprouver des problèmes techniques.

Ces problèmes affectent votre capacité d'utiliser nos services TED en direct plus (lot), SEND et TED en direct.

Nous nous excusons pour cet inconvénient et soyez assurer que nous faisons tout ce que nous pouvons pour remédier à cette situation le plus rapidement possible. Des mises à jour additionnelles suivront.

Merci



---
----

[RL Tax Joe]

Bert_Mulder_CGA, on Mar 7 2007, 11:11 AM, said:

Just talked to someone from CRA Employer Services, said likely to be down all week. Cannot process anything right now in the area of Employer Services or T1.

Latest email:

Oh Good :rolleyes:

It seems strange that they don't have backup systems that couldn't be plugged in to make a seamless change. Yea, I know it costs a lot of money but so does being down like this at the busiest time of the year.

[ansewrman]

RL Tax Joe, on Mar 7 2007, 05:27 PM, said:

Oh Good :rolleyes:

It seems strange that they don't have backup systems that couldn't be plugged in to make a seamless change. Yea, I know it costs a lot of money but so does being down like this at the busiest time of the year.

Think about that for a minute RL_Tax_Joe. What does it cost them to be down like this? It is not like they receive anything for returns being filed. And the returns will all be eventually filed anyway. What incentive do they have, what reward do they have for spending money?

You are confusing CRA with a business. I will let someone else fill in what they actually are. I don't say things like that.

Ansewrman

[RL Tax Joe]

ansewrman, on Mar 7 2007, 01:32 PM, said:

Think about that for a minute RL_Tax_Joe. What does it cost them to be down like this? It is not like they receive anything for returns being filed. And the returns will all be eventually filed anyway. What incentive do they have, what reward do they have for spending money?

You are confusing CRA with a business. I will let someone else fill in what they actually are. I don't say things like that.

Ansewrman

What it does cost us is extra wages that the CRA will pay down the line when the huge influx of returns come in. Plus, people are going to attempt paper filing now which will also cost money to the taxpayers.

But, as far as tax revenues go, it costs them nothing.

I laugh, I 've had a few people say, "that efile problem doesn't affect you does it?" UMMMM YEA

[unknown]

With my business, it does not really affect me, as long as they don't extend any filing deadline.

[RL Tax Joe]

Yet another email

Please see the following message from our Commissioner, Mr. Michel Dorais. We do not anticipate our electronic filing applications to be fully functional today, though we are hopeful they will be restored soon. Restoring service to these applications is our highest priority, and all available resources are working on a resolution. We will advise you as soon as they are available. Please accept our apologies for this significant inconvenience.

ONLINE TAX SERVICES SUSPENDED BY CRA blah blah blah

[JohnDearin]

Early Thursday morning CTV report indicates that the problem is WAY bigger than 1st thought.

My bet is at least another full week. Who want's to start a poll?

John Dearin

[JohnDearin]

Just spoke to an associate on the inside with CRA:

All systems are locked down, no work is being done. Not sure if the work input on the day of the problem took, or was lost. Casual staff laid off, not expecting any work to start again until next week, at the earliest. The scuttlebutt across the network is that they have NO IDEA what happened, how it happened, why it happened. But viruses, hacks etc. have been ruled out.

Same story from three different people, so I feel pretty confident of this info.

JOhn Dearin

[snowplowguy]

Thanks for the update John....

JohnDearin, on Mar 8 2007, 08:22 AM, said:

Not sure if the work input on the day of the problem took, or was lost.

Personally..... this is my only real concern.... as I happened to send a batch on Monday morning (received TSR)..... but the system went down before I received the ACK file.