Understanding IRS Publication 1075 and How AppTrana Helps Ensure Compliance
May 22, 2025
IRS Publication 1075 outlines the security standards required to protect Federal Tax Information (FTI) when accessed, processed, or stored by federal, state, or local agencies and their contractors. The guidance enforces strict data protection, incident response, and risk management measures to maintain confidentiality, integrity, and availability of FTI in compliance with the Internal Revenue Code (IRC) §6103.
For agencies handling sensitive tax data, non-compliance with IRS 1075 can result in data breaches, legal liabilities, and termination of federal data-sharing agreements.
Key IRS Publication 1075 Requirements and How AppTrana WAAP Addresses Them
1. RA-3a1, RA-3b — Conducting Risk Assessments
Agencies must identify threats, vulnerabilities, likelihood of exploitation, and potential impact. The goal is to guide security planning and resource allocation by assessing how likely and how severe specific threats might be.
AppTrana Coverage:
- Automated DAST (Dynamic Application Security Testing): AppTrana performs continuous scanning of web applications and APIs for known and emerging vulnerabilities.
- Manual Pen Testing Services: Our security experts go beyond automated scans to perform business logic testing, privilege escalation checks, and chained attack paths.
- AcuRisQ: All findings are prioritized using CVSS scores and contextual risk analysis (e.g., data sensitivity, exploitability).
- Custom Risk Reports: AppTrana generates risk assessment reports with remediation status and recommendations, fulfilling documentation needs.
2. RA-5a, RA-5b1/2/3, RA-5d — Vulnerability Identification and Remediation
Entities must identify system vulnerabilities, verify their existence, and track remediation. Vulnerability management must be continuous, covering all external-facing systems.
AppTrana Coverage:
- Scheduled and On-Demand DAST Scans: Organizations can scan daily, weekly, or ad-hoc.
- Zero False Positives: All DAST findings are manually verified by AppTrana’s security team to prevent wasted remediation cycles.
- Penetration Testing Integration: In addition to automated scans, AppTrana provides pen test reports that simulate real-world attack scenarios.
- Patch Management & WAF Rules: AppTrana offers virtual patching by deploying custom WAF rules to mitigate vulnerabilities instantly while code is fixed.
- SwyftComply: Remediation assistance with code fixes delivered within 72 hours, ensuring rapid closure of compliance gaps.
3. RA-5f — Threat Intelligence and Real-Time Updates
Security solutions must integrate up-to-date threat intelligence and adapt scanning techniques to reflect the evolving threat landscape.
AppTrana Coverage:
- Continuous Rule Updates: AppTrana’s DAST engine is updated with latest CVEs, OWASP Top 10, and zero-day trends.
- Threat Feed Integration: Subscriptions to global threat intelligence networks enhance detection.
- Zero-Day Readiness: Proactive rule updates allow AppTrana to block zero-days (e.g., Log4j, Spring4Shell) before they’re widely exploited.
4. RA-5e / PM-9b — Risk Mitigation Framework
Organizations must evaluate the likelihood and impact of risks, and implement tools and processes to reduce them to acceptable levels.
AppTrana Coverage:
- Real-Time Attack Surface Visibility: AppTrana’s portal gives complete visibility into exposed assets, discovered APIs, vulnerabilities, and attack attempts.
- Risk-Based Prioritization: AcuRisQcorrelates vulnerability severity with business impact, enabling teams to focus on critical risks first.
- Immediate Protection: AppTrana can enforce block rules via the WAF, acting as a shield against exploitation.
5. SI-3— Malicious Code Protection
Systems must detect and prevent malicious scripts, injections, or code alterations that could compromise FTI.
AppTrana Coverage:
- Injection Attack Detection: AppTrana’s DAST engine detects SQLi, XSS, RCE, and template injections, among others.
- Client-Side Protection: Through CSP headers and JavaScript monitoring, AppTrana prevents script injections and DOM manipulation on the browser side.
- WAF-Based Blocking: Known attack patterns are blocked immediately at the application edge through customized policies.
6. SI-3c1 — File Upload Monitoring
Uploaded files must be scanned for malware, validated, and restricted to safe types and sizes.
AppTrana Coverage:
- Malware Scanning on Uploads: All uploaded files are scanned for malware and then forwarded to the origin server.
- Extension Whitelisting: Only approved file types are allowed through, mitigating risk of .exe, .php, or .js file uploads.
- Inline Blocking: Suspicious files are automatically blocked and logged for audit.
7. SI-4(10) — Monitoring and Forensics
Agencies must continuously monitor systems, detect malicious activity, and maintain logs for audit and forensic analysis.
AppTrana Coverage:
- Comprehensive Traffic Monitoring: Tracks and logs every HTTP/S request across web applications and APIs.
- Bot Management: Detects and blocks bad bots, credential stuffing, scraping, and automated abuse.
- Log Retention & SIEM Integration: AppTrana supports log forwarding to SIEMs for incident response, correlation, and compliance.
- Anomaly Detection: Alerts on suspicious behavior patterns like sudden traffic spikes or abnormal geolocation access.
8. IR-6(1) — Incident Response and Reporting
Security incidents must be detected, escalated, reported, and managed efficiently with minimal delay.
AppTrana Coverage:
- Real-Time Alerts: Alerts are generated for each blocked or suspicious activity and can be sent via email, SMS, or webhook.
- Integrated SIEM Support: Events can be automatically pushed into Splunk, QRadar, LogRhythm, and other SIEMs.
- Expert Support 24×7: AppTrana’s security experts are on call to assist with investigation, rule tuning, and containment.
- Audit Reports: Security incident summaries and timelines are made available for regulatory audits and internal tracking.
| Control | IRS 1075 Requirement | AppTrana Feature or Support |
|---|---|---|
| RA-3a1, RA-3b | Conduct Risk Assessment | Automated + manual risk analysis, threat profiling |
| RA-5 series | Vulnerability Management | DAST + verified results + SwyftComply fixes |
| RA-5f | Threat Intel Integration | Scanner + WAF rule updates based on real-time intel |
| RA-5e / PM-9b | Risk Mitigation | Risk-based remediation + virtual patching |
| SI-2(4) | Malicious Code Protection | Script injection detection + WAF blocking |
| SI-3c1 | File Upload Monitoring | Malware scanning + file type whitelisting |
| SI-4(10) | Monitoring & Forensics | Traffic logs, bot protection, SIEM integrations |
| IR-6(1) | Incident Response | Alerts, dashboards, 24×7 expert support |
Final Thoughts: Mitigate IRS Compliance Risk with Confidence
IRS Pub 1075 isn’t just a compliance checkbox—it’s about protecting sensitive taxpayer data. With the rising sophistication of threats, organizations need a comprehensive solution that doesn’t just detect but also defends.
AppTrana WAAP empowers you to meet IRS guidelines proactively, reduce security gaps, and ensure faster time-to-compliance—with peace of mind.
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