The Federal Department of Infrastructure, Transport and Regional Development will be changing the way users verify their access to its IT systems by implementing a more secure multi-factor authentication process — this will include ROVER and the RVCS & RAWS Lookup sites.
It will also be adding anti-virus scanning to files being uploaded to ROVER and making some other minor changes too. These changes will be deployed as part of ROVER Release 10 on Tuesday, October 21, 2025.
ROVER will be unavailable from 3:00pm to 10.30pm (AEDT) on that day. Users can still submit vehicles to the Register of Approved Vehicles (RAV) during this time, however, they will not be processed until after ROVER Release 10 goes live.
The Department says the changes aim to provide stronger security against phishing and SIM-swap fraud. After undertaking a risk assessment of its IT systems’ vulnerabilities, it decided to replace its current SMS-based access verification process with a more secure process across all IT systems – and has identified the Microsoft Authenticator app as the best solution.
After ROVER Release 10 has been deployed on October 21, all users with sign in details for ROVER and RVCS & RAWS Lookup will need to verify access to those sites using the Microsoft Authenticator app.
Converting to the app will be a simple process and users can download the free Microsoft Authenticator app on a compatible device from the Apple App Store or Google Play Store.
The Department says it will provide more detailed instructions in coming weeks and the ROVER support team will be able to help users if they experience any issues.
At the same time, it is strengthening the antivirus scanning capability for documents uploaded in ROVER. This feature will be enabled in the October 2025 release to increase data protection and prevent malicious files entering the portal.
The process of uploading files will not change. When a user uploads a file, it will be scanned and if a virus is detected, the user will be alerted and prompted to upload a new file.
In addition, the ROVER Release 10 will include some other changes including:
> Trailer VIN: When applying to import a trailer via the concessional pathway, users will be able to request a Vehicle Identification Number (VIN) as part of their application.
> Importing a special purpose vehicle: Users will need to provide the vehicle’s gross vehicle mass when applying to import a special purpose vehicle via the concessional pathway.
More information on the ROVER Release 10 is available here.