Changes to Westpac Online Guardian

Online GuardianWe'll be asking you to set up challenge questions from Tuesday afternoon 5 October 2010.
If you're having trouble try our frequently asked questions.
The Online Guardian Challenge Service:
Our new Online Guardian Challenge Service helps to make Online Banking even safer for you.
It lets you confirm your identity using your choice of special challenge questions. We’ll ask you to choose three questions and tell us the answers. The questions are things you’ll already know, like “Where was your father born?” or “What was the name of your first pet?”, so they’re easier to remember than passwords.
You can set these questions up now from the 'Security preferences' section in Online Banking. These will become mandatory when you log in to Online Banking from Tuesday afternoon 5 October 2010.
These new challenge questions will not replace your existing password to access Online Banking.
Westpac Online Guardian challenge questions
Westpac Online Guardian Challenge
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Password reset
Once your Online Guardian challenge questions have been set up and you have registered your mobile phone in Online Banking, you will be able to reset your password without having to call us or come into branch. Simply click the ‘Reset your own password’ link on the login page.
From here you’ll be presented with one of your challenge questions to answer. Once you have passed this, a temporary password will be sent to your registered mobile phone which will enable you to login. Once logged in you will be required to change your temporary password.
Password reset
Password reset
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Frequently asked questions
> Will these questions replace my password?
No, you will continue to log into Online Banking as normal. These challenge questions will be used from next year when we detect unusual activity that we want to confirm with you.
There will be no requirement to answer a challenge question on every login.
> I can't find three questions that are meaningful to me, what should I do?
The best approach would be to look for questions that would be useful prompts, as this is all they are intended to be. The answer can be anything you choose, it doesn't necessarily have to be factual (we dont validate these answers).
> Why can't I create my own question?
We did consider providing the customers the ability to create their own questions. However, we felt this may lead to the creation of weak challenge questions e.g. "The answer to this question is tomato". By creating a pool of strong questions that have memorable answers we maintain the integrity and security of the challenge service.
> I don't have a NZ mobile phone number or mobile coverage where I live.
You will still be able to use Online Banking even if you don’t have a NZ mobile phone number or mobile phone coverage.
In 2011 the Westpac Online Guardian system will incorporate two new security services (challenge questions and challenge code txts delivered to a mobile phone) into the payment sections in Online Banking. In preparation for this we are requesting the set up of the challenge services now.
When this service goes live next year you will be able to register international mobile numbers. This process may require you to make contact with Westpac via the Contact Centre or Branch.
Registering a mobile phone is not mandatory and if you do make a transaction in the future that falls into the very small number that require a challenge code by txt and don’t have access to a mobile phone we will have a process in place for you to complete this transaction. The process will require you to make contact with Westpac via the Contact Centre or Branch who will enable you to make online payments to that account.
> I share an ID with my partner so how are these questions going to work for us?
Your Online Banking ID is customer specific; its like we're dealing with you one on one in a branch. This is especially important when we do things like open accounts or make specific offers. Similarly, the challenge questions are not intended to be shared.
An ID can be created for a customer with access to any shared accounts. They can then set up challenge questions that are relevant to them.
> Why can't I use the same mobile phone for two different ID's?
A mobile phone number is now held against a customer, so that same number is used for all Online Banking IDs for that customer. This has changed from having just one mobile number per Online Banking ID.
This means that if you have registered your mobile number against one Online Banking ID, it is automatically applied to all of your Online Banking IDs.
This does not apply to circumstances when you have Online Banking IDs against another entity - like a business, trust or another person. There are some alternative solutions to this however so please give us a call.
Future Changes to the Westpac Online Guardian Service
In the future we will also use these questions to help confirm your identity if Online Guardian detects unusual online activity. The result will be more convenience and more security for you.
In 2011 the Westpac Online Guardian system will incorporate two new security services - challenge questions and challenge codes delivered by txt to a mobile phone. This is why we are requesting the set up of the new services now. So while it's not mandatory to register your mobile phone now we do encourage it.
When this service goes live next year you will be able to register international mobile numbers. This process may require you to make contact with Westpac via the Contact Centre or Branch.
The Westpac Online Guardian system will learn customer patterns and behaviour and will only deliver the requirement for additional authentication where absolutely necessary. Where additional authentication is required the vast majority will only require a challenge question to be completed, however, a very small number will require a challenge code via txt to a mobile phone.
Registering a mobile phone is not mandatory and if you do make a transaction that falls into the very small number that require verification by txt and don’t have access to a mobile service we will have a process in place for you to complete this transaction. The process will require you to make contact with Westpac via the Contact Centre or Branch who will enable you to make online payments to that account.
The intention of this service is to detect potential fraud as it is occurring and therefore put additional authentication steps at these instances. As mentioned above, the need for a txt validation will be very rare and only if there is something unusual in your online banking behaviour. The plan is to introduce these new steps with as minimal customer impact as possible.
Westpac’s Electronic Banking Services terms and conditions apply. The information on this page is presented subject to our legal page and any other terms and conditions that Westpac may impose from time to time. It is subject to change without notification.
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