Singapore – Over 2.3 million SingPass users have set up their SingPass 2-Step Verification, also known as 2-Factor Authentication (2FA), to better protect their SingPass account and personal data.
SingPass 2FA was made mandatory in July 2016, following a year of extensive outreach. To minimise disruption to regular users who need to transact with government agencies urgently, users who have not set up their 2FA are given a one-time grace period of 30 days, upon their first login to SingPass since July, to do so. The majority of the SingPass users are now 2FA-ready. The provision of the 30-day grace period will therefore end on 15 January 2017. This means that:
-Users who log in to SingPass before or on 15 January 2017 will be given the full 30-day grace period to complete their 2FA setup.
-Users who log in to SingPass from 16 January 2017 onwards will not be given any grace period to complete their 2FA setup, which will take up to seven and 10 working days for local and overseas users respectively. They will need to:
1. Log in to their SingPass account and click “Set Up 2-Step Verification”.
2. Wait for a PIN mailer to arrive at their registered address.
3. Follow the instructions in the PIN mailer to activate 2FA.
Users need to complete their SingPass 2FA setup in order to file taxes from 2017 onwards, and access over 100 government digital services involving sensitive data.
Mr. Chan Cheow Hoe, Government Chief Information Officer, GovTech, said, “Having a majority of SingPass users on-board 2FA is a significant step towards improving personal online security and creating a safer cyberspace. For users who have not set up their SingPass 2FA, we strongly encourage them to do so to better protect their personal data.”
For more information on the SingPass 2FA setup, please refer to the 2FA FAQs and Video Guides.
