IDA to implement two-factor authentication technology for SingPass

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The Infocomm Development Authority (IDA) will be implementing a one-year transition period from the launch of a two-factor authentication (2FA) system for SingPass in the third quarter of 2015, it said on Thursday (Nov 27).

The 2FA system is either via SMS or hardware token. The default is via SMS, but for certain "sensitive transactions", a hardware token may be mandated by the relevant agencies.

A tender for the 2FA vendor will take place within the next few months, said IDA.

There is also a "service by service assessment" currently to decide which e-Government service would require the use of a hardware token for SingPass authentication, he said.

After the one-year transition period, IDA will assess the data collated and decide if it should extend the opt-in period, make it opt-in permanently or make it mandatory for every user.

IDA said Accenture was appointed to build the enhanced SingPass system which will be rolled out in Q3 next year, and that the vendor was appointed in April. Work is "already in progress" to develop the enhanced SingPass platform.

There are 3.3 million registered SingPass users as of the end of 2013. Of these, 400,000 accounts have been inactive in the past three years. IDA is in the process of resetting passwords for inactive accounts, it said.

Notification letters are currently being sent out to users of inactive accounts about the resetting of passwords. These users are given 14 days to change their passwords before their accounts are deactivated, IDA said.