The Administrative Office of the U.S. Courts (AO) is adding Multi Factor Authentication (MFA) to enhance system security for CM/ECF and PACER. MFA provides an added layer of security to accounts by helping protect against cyberattacks that steal passwords, significantly reducing the risk of unauthorized access.

Beginning May 11, 2025, all CM/ECF and PACER users will be able to enroll in MFA. Users with filing and all other types of CM/ECF-level access will be required to enroll in MFA and are encouraged to do so at their earliest convenience. MFA enrollment will be optional for users with PACER-only access, but it is strongly recommended that they also take advantage of this new security feature.

Users with CM/ECF-level access who do not voluntarily enroll will be randomly selected to enroll beginning in August 2025. These randomly selected CM/ECF users will be notified of the MFA requirement during login. By the end of 2025, everyone with CM/ECF-level access will be required to use MFA when logging in.

Updated documentation and learning aids are available on the PACER website.

NOTE: If  using third-party software for filing, users should ensure MFA is supported by that software before enrolling in MFA to avoid any disruption in their business processes.