New password technology making online transactions more secure

The NSW Government is taking even more steps to help residents stay protected against cyber breaches with a new feature that informs people if their login credentials may have been compromised. 

With new enhancements to credential technology, holders of a MyServiceNSW account will be automatically notified if their email address and password are found in a third-party breach. They will then be encouraged to update their password and enable multifactor authentication.

Service NSW is working closely with trusted global technology and security vendors to identify if a customer’s account login information may have previously been disclosed in a third-party data breach or leak.

Customer information remains secure and protected during the scan and customers do not need to sign-up or opt-in to the service. 

This is one of several initiatives the NSW Government has undertaken to help protect NSW residents online and build cyber security awareness.

This complements the new Password Strength Tester, launched earlier this month, which helps people create strong passwords and check whether their password has previously been disclosed in a data breach or leak. The Password Strength Tester can also test how long it would take a hacker to crack the password and provides a rating based on the strength of the password.

There are more than 2.7 million logins to MyServiceNSW accounts every month to complete thousands of NSW Government transactions including driver licence renewals and vehicle registrations, as well as access disaster recovery or cost of living support. Customers must also have an active MyServiceNSW account to use the Service NSW app and access popular voucher programs.

Security breaches and cybercrimes can cost Australians both financially and in time taken to recover their identity. If anyone believes their identity may have been stolen, Service NSW and ID Support NSW can help people restore their documents and improve security of their personal information.

Minister for Customer Service and Digital Government Jihad Dib said:

“We know cyber-attacks are on the rise and many people might not be as cyber secure as they could be. A lot of people use the same password for multiple online accounts, exposing them to a data breach or leaks.”

“The new cyber tools offered by Service NSW provide an additional layer of security and peace of mind for people in NSW.”

“Our state is a leader when it comes to digital innovation and the NSW Government continues to work on initiatives to make the use of MyServiceNSW as secure as possible.”