The Administrative Office of the U.S. Courts announced on May 1 that it will begin rolling out multifactor authentication (MFA) for users of the Case Management/Electronic Case Files (CM/ECF) and Public Access to Court Electronic Records (PACER) systems starting in mid-May.
The introduction of MFA is intended to strengthen security by providing an additional layer of protection against cyberattacks that target passwords, helping reduce the risk of unauthorized access to sensitive court information.
According to the announcement, all users with CM/ECF-level access will be required to enroll in MFA. Users who do not enroll voluntarily will be randomly selected for enrollment throughout the remainder of the year, with full compliance expected by the end of 2025. Meanwhile, users with PACER-only accounts may choose whether or not to participate in MFA.
Once implemented, eligible users can begin enrolling in MFA through instructions provided by the AO. The office said more information about this process is available on the PACER website.
The rollout marks a significant step toward improving cybersecurity measures within federal court electronic systems.
