Following the Optus data breach, which exposed the information of over 942,000 Victorian license holders, victims would now receive new cards with additional security.
As per reports, the Roads Corporation of Victoria VicRoads stated that the victims would be issued cards with an extra security number on the back that would function similarly to security codes used on credit and debit cards. The authorities aim to add additional security measures to the roughly one million new licenses.
The Australian telecommunication spokesperson said the government was tracking the license holders affected by the Optus data breach using a two-step verification process.
Optus data breach: Drivers’ licenses to be renewed
According to sources, the Optus data hack adversely impacted Victorian license holders compared to any other state. Authorities assured the drivers that by year’s end, the new cards would be delivered to the approximately 342,000 Victorians who were identified as directly impacted by the incident.
Sources claim that the affected drivers will have their license flagged on the Victorian Licensing Registry to protect their identity and make the two-step verification smoother. However, it must be noted that the new card number will require the applicants to bring the original license number for identity confirmation.
“The Victorian government will work to progressively implement this additional protection for all 5 million Victorian license holders once the rollout for those impacted in the Optus data breach is completed,” VicRoads said, ABC News reported.
Individuals must provide their original license and new card numbers when proving their identification for services like opening bank accounts, loan applications, phone contracts, and real estate transactions. All new and renewed Victorian driver’s licenses would include the second card number. According to a spokeswoman, affected individuals will receive the newly designed licenses at no cost in the upcoming weeks. Before entering 2023, the affected people would get their new license cards.
