TORONTO — Unable to secure them against hackers, the province is shutting down its ServiceOntario kiosks.

"After months of careful analysis, consultation and testing of multiple options, it has been determined that even if we spend millions on security improvements, the kiosks would still be vulnerable to hi-tech crime," Government Services Minister Harinder Takhar said in a statement.

"We encourage our customers to go online — where it is faster, easier and more secure — to get the services they need."

The 72 terminals across the province were first shut down in June after the ministry was alerted to an organized attempt to get debit and credit card information from the machines.

The attempts weren't successful but the government closed down the kiosks to see if they could be made more secure.

Takhar said an investigation found it just wouldn't be worth the money — especially when all 40 of the services the kiosks offer, including driver's licences and plate renewals, can be done online.