ClarITy » Password http://clarity.blogs.plymouth.edu Helping make Information Technology more clear Tue, 13 Oct 2009 19:09:31 +0000 http://wordpress.org/?v=2.8.4 en hourly 1 PSU To Implement New Password Reset Process http://clarity.blogs.plymouth.edu/2009/04/13/psu-to-implement-new-password-reset-process/ http://clarity.blogs.plymouth.edu/2009/04/13/psu-to-implement-new-password-reset-process/#comments Mon, 13 Apr 2009 11:45:12 +0000 jguilmet http://clarity.blogs.plymouth.edu/?p=180 In an effort to improve security and offer better customer service, PSU is changing the process to reset lost or forgotten passwords. Your myPlymouth username and password gives you access to use a broad selection of resources at PSU; however the current mechanism used to assign the initial password and to reset the password is based on sensitive information. In our ongoing efforts to limit the use of sensitive information we’re developing a new mechanism to assign initial passwords and reset existing ones.

The new process relies on email instead of sensitive information, and will allow you to reset your password at any time, not just during the hours the help desk is open. Should you ever need to reset your password, you can click a button on the myPlymouth login screen, enter the off-campus email address that you’d previously registered with us, and the system will send an automated email message to that address with a special one-time code that will allow you to reset your password.

New users will register their off-campus email address at the time of initial account creation; we’ll be asking current users to register their off-campus email address in myPlymouth starting Monday, April 13, 2009.

Why use email?
The new process follows the best practices of popular and trustworthy internet services. Email addresses are an aspect of our identity, and most people have an email address before they come to PSU. Further, the process is well understood and accepted by security experts as a safe mechanism to establish identity and reset passwords in electronic networks.

Why do I need to provide an off-campus email address?
If you’ve forgotten your myPlymouth password it’s unlikely that you’ll be able to read your PSU email to get the special password reset message.

Are you eliminating my PSU email?
No. Your @plymouth.edu email address and myPlymouth will still be the institution’s primary means of electronic communication with you.

What if somebody else knows my off-campus email address and tries to reset my password?
Resetting a password requires two things: knowledge of a registered off-campus email address, and the ability to read the messages sent to that address. It is important that you maintain the security of your off-campus email account just as you would your myPlymouth account.

My family shares a home email address, can I use that?
Anybody who can access the off-campus email address that you register with us will be able to reset your myPlymouth password. It is important that you maintain the security of your off-campus email account just as you would your myPlymouth account; please do not use a shared email address for this.

I don’t have an off-campus email address, what do I do?
Now is the perfect time to get one. Services like Google Mail and Yahoo! Mail are free, and don’t forget that your home ISP probably offered you an email address as well.

I can’t give you a secure off-campus email address.
That’s okay. You’ll still be able to reset your password by coming to the help desk and showing a picture ID.

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]]> http://clarity.blogs.plymouth.edu/2009/04/13/psu-to-implement-new-password-reset-process/feed/ 0 Important information regarding Password Expiration http://clarity.blogs.plymouth.edu/2008/08/11/important-information-regarding-password-expiration/ http://clarity.blogs.plymouth.edu/2008/08/11/important-information-regarding-password-expiration/#comments Mon, 11 Aug 2008 13:31:12 +0000 jguilmet http://clarity.blogs.plymouth.edu/?p=67 On Wednesday, August 13, ITS will begin a phased implementation of the new PSU Password Policy as approved by the Executive Steering Committee for Information Systems (http://www.plymouth.edu/infotech/policy/index.html).

Starting this year, PSU computer users will be prompted to change their PSU passwords once every six months.   Users with expired passwords will be prompted to change their passwords when logging into myPlymouth. Simply follow the instructions on the prompting window to change your password.

The schedule for password expirations follows:

Staff                     August 13

Faculty                 August 21

In accordance with the new PSU Password Policy, all PSU user passwords will expire every 6 months.    Of course, users can change their passwords more frequently through the myPlymouth portal.  We apologize for any inconvenience, but we also take computer security seriously. If you have any questions, please contact the ITS Helpdesk at 535-2911 or via email at helpdesk@plymouth.edu

ITS Security Team

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