Lifestyle

Protecting your account with multi-factor authentication

08 April 2025

Safeguarding your information online is more important than ever. Passwords are still useful, but it’s important to have other layers of protection. That's where multi-factor authentication (MFA) comes in, helping to protect your valuable digital information.

What is multi-factor authentication?

MFA (also called two-factor authentication, or 2FA) is a security process used to log in to an online account, such as GIO Online Services. It adds an extra layer of protection by requiring two or more verification steps. Most commonly:

you enter something you know, such as your password, then
you verify with something you have, like a code sent to your mobile device.

This second layer of security is designed to prevent anyone but you from accessing your account. Even if someone knows your password, they won’t have everything they need to continue with a login attempt.

Why is GIO introducing MFA?

When you choose GIO, you trust us with your personal information. That’s a responsibility we take very seriously.

Every security upgrade we implement has two key objectives:

Protecting your details.
Giving you confidence that your information is safe with us.

Your security and privacy are our priorities, and we're committed to protecting both.

Passwords just aren’t enough anymore

Almost half of all Australians admit to having an easy-to-guess password, and 1.4 million of us reuse our passwords across ten or more accounts.

Cybercriminals exploit these weaknesses. Hackers around the world constantly evolve their methods, using high-powered computers to test billions of passwords every second. And while strong passwords – like the ones you might generate with a password manager – take longer to crack, the fact is that usernames and passwords on their own no longer provide sufficient protection against online threats.

That’s where multi-factor authentication helps. It's one of the simplest, most effective ways to prevent unauthorised account access and safeguard your information online.

Choosing how you protect your account

Effective security is about making things simple. That’s why GIO allows you to set up MFA in a way that works for you.

Don’t want to authenticate every time you log in? We can remember the browser you’ve logged in with for 90 days. Just keep in mind you’ll need to complete the MFA process again:

at the end of the 90 days, or
if you log in with a new device or browser.

If you’d prefer not to use your mobile device, or if you find yourself without it, you can opt for email-based one-time passwords (OTP) instead. This ensures you maintain secure access to your account even if you:

lose your phone,
forget to bring your device, or
change your mobile number.

Do I have to use MFA?

No. We strongly recommend using MFA to protect the sensitive information in your online account. However, it is an optional setting. You can choose to skip MFA enrolment if you prefer.