Cybersecurity specialists warn that most of Australia’s digital driver’s licences fall short of international security standards, leaving individuals vulnerable to fraud and identity theft.
Victoria is set to become the fourth Australian state or territory to launch the new digital ID.
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Individuals with full driver’s licences and motorcyclists will be able to access their licences via myVicRoads and Service Victoria apps starting next month.
Despite the impending launch of Victoria’s digital ID, concerns persist regarding the security protocols of these digital licences.
Jamieson O’Reilly, Director at cyber security company Dvuln, highlighted the necessity for secure implementation to mitigate risks of fraud and hacking.
“It should reduce things like fraud, misuse, and identity theft – but that relies on a secure implementation, which as we’ve seen, hasn’t been happening,” Mr O’Reilly said.
The rollout of digital licences in Queensland faced technical difficulties, with the government urging citizens to postpone downloading the app due to crashes on launch day.
“The messier it is, the less standardisation there is, there’s much more room for error,” he said.
Despite the potential benefits of digital licences in enhancing security and convenience, experts caution that rigorous security measures and data literacy are essential to safeguard against cyber threats.
In 2017, South Australia became the first state to introduce digital licences.
However, the initiative faced challenges when hackers breached over 2,600 mySA GOV accounts by obtaining passwords through a cyberattack in 2021.
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