By Jim Absher

The Defense Finance and Accounting Service, or DFAS, has announced increased security measures for its website.

Effective in late April, two-factor authentication will become mandatory for everyone using the DFAS website to access their military pay records via the myPay program.

Two-factor authentication requires users to verify an authentication code that is sent either to their email address or texted to their mobile phone after the member enters a valid user name and password.

Members will not be able to log into the myPay system until they verify their identity by entering this authentication code, an added security measure.

Users who log on to myPay with a valid Common Access Card (CAC) or Personal Identity Verification (PIV) card will not have this requirement, since their smart card has added security measures built in. However, smart-card users still need to set up two-factor authentication for those times when a card reader is not available.

MyPay is the Department of Defense's online payroll and accounting system that allows most service members, retirees, survivors and civilian employees at some government agencies to view and make changes to their pay accounts and manage pay- and travel-related issues.

Coast Guard members, who are part of the Department of Homeland Security, have a different payroll processing system.