iscover
Share this article on:
Powered by
MOMENTUM
MEDIA
In an effort to thwart cyber criminals misusing stolen credentials, the government is preparing to launch a new app that notifies users when their details are being used by threat actors.
As announced by Attorney-General Mark Dreyfus, the government will be investing $11 million of the federal budget to augment the Credential Protection Register into a mobile app that would notify users that their credentials are being misused in real time.
“The mobile application will allow an individual to be notified, in real time, if someone is using their identity without their consent,” Dreyfus said in a media release.
“Individuals will then be able to act immediately to control their identity credentials by enabling or disabling their use for verification.
“These changes will give Australians full control of when and how their identity credentials are being used and allow them to disrupt illegal use of their identity.”
Dreyfus said that the $11 million allocated in the 2024–25 budget will be used for the app over a four-year period.
The Credential Protection Register on which the app is based on was established after the attack late in 2022 in an effort to allow those affected by a data breach to quickly lock their details and protect their identities, and it has reportedly blocked over 300,000 attempts at the use of stolen credentials and identify fraud.
“The register enables people who have had their personal details stolen to quickly lock down their information to prevent their data being used for identity crime and theft,” Dreyfus said.
“This in turn disrupts black market sales of stolen personal documents and illegal activities that rely on those stolen credentials, including scams, money laundering and fraud.”
The latest $11 million follows $3.3 million in funding for the register to enhance its capabilities.
As reported by ITNews, the announcement of the app comes under a week after reports revealed Commonwealth credentials are being stolen and used at a rapidly increasing rate and that roughly 25,000 Australians have been advised to use some form of identity support service within the last financial year. Since the 2020–2021 financial year, the number of people using one of these services has increased 26 per cent.
Be the first to hear the latest developments in the cyber industry.
