One year after the Singapore government introduced the introduction of two-factor authentication (2FA) for the Singapore Personal Access (SingPass) system, eight in 10 users have adopted the technology.
Around two million regular users of the service have set up their 2FA to date, the government announced.
The verification process was introduced to better protect the personal data of users and to ensure security for online identity and transactions.
As of Wednesday, a majority of government e-services now also require 2FA for transactions, which means that in addition to their SingPass username and password, users will also need to enter a one-time password sent via SMS or generated through a OneKey token.
A 30-day grace period will, however, be given to those who have yet to set up their 2FA login.
“While the majority of regular SingPass users are 2FA-ready, we recognise that the remaining 400,000 regular users may need more time to set up their 2FA. This one-time grace period helps to minimise disruption and provide flexibility to different users who have not set up their 2FA and need to perform urgent e-transactions,” said Chan Cheow Hoe, Assistant Chief Executive, Infocomm Development Authority of Singapore.
Chan added that a range of mitigating measures, such as fraud analytics tools, have also been deployed to ensure the security of SingPass accounts for users who are in the process of setting up their 2FA.
Launched in March 2003, SingPass is a gateway to hundreds of e-services provided by more than 60 government agencies. Users only have to remember one password when connecting and transacting with the government.