New Login System Coming for Defense Department and Some VA Websites

COL (Join to see) you always have a choice

SFC Jo Ann Klawitter - Well, not if you want to be able to log-in to your DFAS account, or your VA medical account, etc.

SGM Jeff Mccloud - I'm still frosted about the massive data leak from OPM almost 10 years ago and DOD's totally inadequate response to the loss millions of 873s - you know, the form we filled out to get a security clearance on which we listed every address we ever had, every job we ever had and everyone we know... and this is that response - change your pw every 30 minutes, make your password 37 characters long, and change the entire log-in system every 3-5 years!

COL (Join to see) - What pissed me off most about that leak was the global emails and slide shows telling us how to keep our data secure.

Clearly how to keep your data secure is to not give it to OPM.

That has happened to me many times
I don’t think I’ll see in my lifetime the VA getting everything working right

On many websites your email address is not only for sending email, it’s also your username and the account “number” under which your records are kept. Each user must have a unique email address to keep their records separate.

A unique identifier is required to store and retrieve personal information, and names aren’t unique. SS numbers, drivers license numbers, etc. are too sensitive to expose in some situations. Email addresses are not normally too sensitive to use as a username and account identifier. Many organizations now assume that each person has an email address that is unique to that person. It’s more personal, easier to remember, and less susceptible to typos than a long number.