As a result of the COVID-19 pandemic, working remotely has opened new potential access points and vulnerabilities that hackers are exploiting. CPA firms are already prime targets for identity thieves, and these new vulnerabilities exacerbate the profession's cyber-related challenges.

Since April 2020, 13 CAMICO policyholders have reported data breaches that in aggregate resulted in the hackers filing over 300 fraudulent income tax returns through the CPAs' tax software. Now, more than ever, data security is an urgent concern for the accounting profession.