Tarrant Appraisal District acknowledges computer system security breach possible
FORT WORTH (CBSNewsTexas.com) - For the first time Tuesday the Tarrant Appraisal District acknowledged it was possible an outside party may have accessed its computer system.
Board members said they did not have information on what may have been accessed, or if information of individual property owners may have been exposed, but moved to hire a firm to determine if there was a breach and if so, to do a full audit of what happened.
The move comes after the district fired IT executive Cal Wood in August, after he was recorded in a meeting saying he was ok with "creating a false narrative" about what was happening at TAD.
The district had started working on its website in 2022 to fix what former chief appraiser Jeff Law referred to as "vulnerabilities" they had discovered. The new website was mired with problems when new property values were released in the spring, forcing the district to extend the deadlines for owners to protest their values.
The TAD board also voted that it has now "no confidence" in Law, who resigned Sept. 1, after he previously had received a vote of confidence from the board. Only board members Vince Puente and Rich DeOtte voted, with Tony Pompa, Joe Rich Martinez and Jungus Jordan abstaining.