The Allan Labor Government is encouraging all Victorians to activate multi-factor authentication (MFA) on their devices to better protect themselves, their finances and their personal data from scammers and cybercriminals.
Minister for Government Services Natalie Hutchins launched MFA on the Service Victoria platform and made the appeal to all Victorians to take up the security measure.
Victorians lost more than $42 million to cyber scams last year with research showing only one in three Victorians used MFA to protect their online accounts.
Multi-factor authentication - also known as two-step authentication - is an effective tool that Victorians should use to protect themselves from online threats. MFA is like locking a door with two locks instead of one.
The steps to use MFA are simple - just choose your preferred security combination:
Step 1. Use a strong, unique password as your base layer of security
Step 2: Confirm it's you by using a second method, like a code sent to your phone or a fingerprint scan.
This second step makes it much harder for anyone else to gain access to accounts, even if they know the password.
Rowville Seniors Club member Jeff Lovegrove has heeded the message and turned on MFA for several of his online accounts, choosing a combination of authentication methods to keep his accounts secure.
Jeff said that activating MFA was a simple process. He has multi-factor authentication switched on for his banking and super fund, as well as facial recognition and a PIN code for his laptop and now feels more confident using these accounts with the added layer of security.
MFA should be used to protect Victorians' most important accounts, such as an email account, online banking, social media, government accounts like Service Victoria, and accounts with personal information.
These service providers will usually ask or prompt users if they wish to incorporate MFA into their log-in.
More information about MFA can be found at vic.gov.au/MFA.
As stated by Minister for Government Services Natalie Hutchins
"Our message about multi-factor authentication is simple and clear - a strong password, combined with digital proof of identification, is the key to staying safe online."
"Multi-factor authentication is an easy way to protect your most important online accounts, such as online banking, social media and government accounts - and we are asking all Victorians to take it up."
