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Multiple Australians wake to blocked myGov accounts
Updated . First published at
Multiple Australians have received texts and emails from Services Australia informing them that their access to their myGov accounts has been “temporarily locked” due to suspicious sign-in activity.
Services Australia told nine.com.au this extreme measure isn’t the result of a hack, but is simply their security measures working as they should.
Impacted users have received texts and emails informing them of the security measure. Nine
Services Australia has sent instructions to users via email to access their accounts. Nine
The email received by impacted users reads: “Your sign in details have been entered incorrectly too many times. Your account is temporarily locked.
“While your account is locked, you won’t be able to sign in with Digital ID or passkey.
“If you were using an email address or mobile number as your username to sign in to myGov, we’ve turned these off to protect your account.”
The lockouts mean the only way for affected Australians to reactivate their access is to strictly follow the recovery instructions provided directly by Services Australia via email.
Services Australia General Manager Hank Jongen told nine.com.au: “myGov has not been ‘hacked’ and the platform remains secure.
“Like other major digital services, myGov is regularly targeted by scammers and suspicious activity. This is why myGov offers secure sign in options using multifactor authentication, passkeys and Digital ID.”
Jongen clarified that bad actors are attempting credential-stuffing attacks by using leaked email addresses and password combinations stolen from other data breaches to force their way into individual accounts.
“Like other online platforms, when myGov detects unusual sign-in activity, automated safeguards temporarily lock an account or disable some sign-in options,” Jongen explained.
Got a story? Contact Jo Abi at jabi@nine.com.au
Those impacted are being encouraged to set up additional security measures. iStockphoto
“Some people will have received a security notification to their registered email address or mobile number about their account. This does not mean their myGov account or the myGov platform has been compromised but informs them of action taken to protect their account.
“This is the security measure working as intended.”
To safely regain access, affected users must log in directly through the official myGov app or by manually typing my.gov.au into their browser. Services Australia warn users to remain vigilant against phishing attacks, emphasising that myGov will never send an email or text message containing a direct link asking them to sign in.
Once they have regained access, users are strongly urged to utilise the built-in security review feature to bolster their account defences, including by setting up a Digital ID or passkeys.
“We encourage people to take steps to strengthen their account security at every sign in using our security review feature.
Digital IDs or passkeys have been suggested. iStockphoto
“This guides them to choose stronger sign in options like Digital ID or passkeys, and to turn off their username and password as a sign in option,” Jongen advised.
“People can turn their email address or mobile number as a username back on, however we don’t recommend it if these details have been compromised elsewhere.”
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