Skip to main content
  1. Home
  2. Mobile
  3. News

Australian government advises citizens to turn off two-factor authentication

By

Two-factor authentication over a laptop.
Image used with permission by copyright holder
In a move so bizarre it almost seems like a joke, the Australian government has advised its citizens to disable two-factor authentication, a key security measure that protects individuals’ online identities. Reading almost like a sort of reverse psychology (hey citizens, do the exact opposite of what we’re telling you), the advice has been panned by security experts who note that turning off this authentication method could leave Australians at serious risk. Stranger still, the Aussie government recommends this move when residents are abroad, or when they’re actually most vulnerable to being hacked. Maybe April Fools Day came early this year.

Going out of mobile range? Turn off myGov Security Codes so you can still sign in! Go to 'settings' in your account pic.twitter.com/9H11ZZWuC9

— myGov (@myGovau) December 22, 2015

On Monday, myGov, Australia’s primary digital government portal which manages health insurance, tax payments, and child support, took to Twitter to ask their 3,000 followers to turn off their 2FA protection, instead urging them to “spend more time doing the important things” (which apparently doesn’t include securing your accounts). A number of users immediately tweeted their disbelief at the seemingly faulty recommendation, noting that “downgrading security” never seems like a particularly solid idea.

Recommended Videos

Of course, the Aussies meant well with their suggestion. Australians going on vacation will likely trade their Australian SIM cards for those of the local country, which will make receiving myGov security codes impossible, unless they constantly go back and forth between SIM cards. Still, Internet users are most likely to have their information stolen when not on familiar territory, or on public networks (which they likely would be while abroad). This, experts and everyday individuals alike, makes the idea of purposefully making their accounts less protected strange at best, and downright stupid at worst.

Please enable Javascript to view this content

Following the initial backlash towards their first tweet, myGov clarified that users would “still need to securely sign in with secret questions & answers,” at least providing some level of additional security.

Related

If you turn off security codes, you'll still need to securely sign in with secret questions & answers. More: https://t.co/ON1BrUQ2pY

— myGov (@myGovau) December 22, 2015

Some critics, however, remain unimpressed.

@myGovau Are you guys on crack? Thats insane

— Z (@Zedsupremus) December 23, 2015

So stay safe while traveling, friends. Sometimes, inconvenience is worth it.

Editors’ Recommendations

Topics
Lulu Chang
Lulu Chang
Former Digital Trends Contributor
Fascinated by the effects of technology on human interaction, Lulu believes that if her parents can use your new app…
The next iOS 18 update is on its way. Here’s what we know
The iPhone 16 sitting on top of orange mums.

When iOS 18.2 released just over a week ago, it unlocked a lot of long-awaited features like Image Playground, Visual Intelligence, and improvements to writing tools. Now, it seems like another update could be just around the corner: version 18.2.1.

MacRumors found evidence of the update in their analytic logs, a source that has supposedly revealed quite a few iOS versions before release. Given that this is a minor update, it isn't likely to come with new features or anything groundbreaking. Instead, it will most likely be targeted at bug fixes, although no specific problems have been named. You should expect this update to drop either in late December or early January, but a year-end release is more likely.

Read more
If your iPhone can handle iOS 18.2, it can probably handle iOS 19
An iPhone 15 Pro Max running iOS 18, showing its home screen.

The last few iPhone updates have brought a lot of changes with them. Just take a look at iOS 18.2: It introduced a ton of AI-powered features that had never before been available. If you have an older phone, it's easy to worry that its hardware won't be up to snuff for the next round of updates. For now, you can breathe easy: If your iPhone can handle iOS 18, then it should also work with iOS 19, according to a new leak.

The news comes from the French site iPhoneSoft. Although Apple guarantees five years of support for its devices, some devices get supported for longer periods of time, but this tip suggests that any phone currently capable of downloading and installing iOS 18 will also work with iOS 19, although some features could be limited.

Read more
Samsung has a smartphone design problem
Three Galaxy S24 Plus models laying on a table, including the white, gray, and yellow ones.

The year was 2015. Back when the obsession was making the thinnest phones out there. Chinese smartphone brands made their presence felt in the race, out-slimming the big boys. Vivo’s crown jewel was merely 4.75mm across.

Even Samsung partook and launched a phone that beat Apple at the cross-section game. A decade later, the wheels of smartphone design are turning back to slim phones.

Read more