Passwords

Table of Contents

General Info

Your University Life password is valid for 100 days after the time you set a new one. Your computer will prompt you that your password will expire soon along with the number of days left. You can choose to change it then or do it later.

UL Tech Services will never ask you for your password through an e-mail. Many users have received legitimate-looking e-mails that ask the user to provide their username and password. These e-mails are false and created by hackers. If you are unsure or have suspicions about an e-mail or website, please contact the UL Tech Services help desk.

Choosing a Password

A long password is much stronger than a short, complex one. A longer password creates more possible combinations, which lessens the probability of it being cracked by a hacker.

A passphrase can be used for a portion of the password to make it easier to remember. A passphrase is simply a password that combines multiple words, numbers, or abbreviations together. Instead of creating a complex but difficult-to-remember password such as VP#*1HW, you could string together multiple words or phrases that are easier to remember, like ##PhillieswillWINin2010@@.

You can include acronyms, abbreviations, capital letters and special characters to increase the complexity. (Ex. OMGvpulisthebst%%%).

• Cannot contain the user’s account name or parts of the user’s full name that exceed two consecutive characters.
• Must be at least eight characters long.
• Must contain characters from at least three of the following four categories:
  • English uppercase alphabetic characters (A–Z)
  • English lowercase alphabetic characters (a–z)
  • Base 10 digits (0–9)
  • Non-alphanumeric characters (for example, !$#,%)

Resetting Passwords

       ISC Customer Service
       3401 Walnut Street
       Suite 265B (use "B&C Wing Entrance")

• You can use the UL Password Reset tool
• If you know your existing UL password, you can change it at anytime. To do this, sign into any UL computer, and then press Control-Alt-Delete on the keyboard. From the window that appears, click on “Change Password.”
• If you do not know your current UL password and need it reset, please call us at 215-573-8324 (3-TECH on campus).
• NOTE: we are unable to reset passwords for work-study students if they call us directly. We must speak to or receive an e-mail from a full time staff member before we can reset a work-study account password.

• If you know your existing PennKey password, you can change it yourself using the form at https://weblogin.pennkey.upenn.edu/changepassword.
• If you do not know your existing PennKey password, you will need to reset it in person at the ISC PennKey Administration Station at the following address:

       ISC Customer Service
       3401 Walnut Street
       Suite 265B (use "B&C Wing Entrance")

• The hours of this station are Mon-Fri, 8 am to 4:30 p.m. To confirm your identity, bring two forms of photo ID. If you are eligible for a PennCard, please use it as one of your forms of ID. Other acceptable forms of photo ID include a UPHS ID, or any government-issued documents such as a passport, state driver’s license, state-issued ID card, or national identity card.

You can include acronyms, abbreviations, capital letters and special characters to increase the complexity. (Ex. OMGvpulisthebst%%%).

• Exchange: You can change your Exchange email password (used for both Outlook and Outlook Web Access webmail) using your PennKey. To do this, go to https://am.exchange.upenn.edu/AccountServices/auth/login.aspx. Sign in with your PennKey and PennKey password, and then click on the link that says “Reset Account Password.”
• Zimbra: Your Zimbra webmail password is the same as your PennKey password. For information on changing your PennKey password, see above.

• Your BEN Financials password and your MarkView password are the same. If you know your BEN Financials (MarkView) password but would like to change it, you can do this yourself. Your password can be changed from within BEN Financials (User Preferences) or from Requisitions (My Profile).
• From the BEN Financials Navigator:
  • From your list of responsibilities, select User Preferences. The General Preferences screen will appear.
  • Enter your current password.
  • Enter your new password and repeat your new password to confirm.
  • Click Apply to save your new password, or click Cancel to discard your current changes.
• From the Requisitions home page:
  • Select the My Profile tab.
  • Scroll down to the “Preferences” section.
  • Enter your current password.
  • Enter your new password and repeat your new password to confirm.
  • Click Apply Changes to save the new password, or click Clear Changes to discard your current changes.
• If you have forgotten your BEN Financials password, you will need to reset it in person at 3451 Walnut St. To reset your password, please go to the Customer Service desk located at 3401 Walnut Street, suite 265B (use the “middle of the block” entrance). Be sure to bring your valid PennID.
• For more info, see BEN Knows on ‘Changing an Existing BEN Financials (MarkView) Password’.
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• Passwords for user accounts on the Data Warehouse and select others of Penn’s central Oracle databases expire every three months. In addition, users attempting to log in with an incorrect password more than six times will have their accounts locked.
  • Users will receive an automatic email four days before their password is due to expire, reminding them of the upcoming deadline, and directing them to a web site where they can change their password.
• The password change application uses PennKey for login, and requires that the Oracle ID match the PennKey entered. Accounts will be both unlocked and reset.
  • Users with access to multiple databases may reset their passwords in those databases all at once by checking the appropriate boxes.
• Business Objects users, please note: You must check both the boxes for Business Objects and Business Objects DB Credentials in addition to the box for your database (for example, Data Warehouse). If you do not check all of the boxes, you will get an error when you attempt to use Business Objects.

New Oracle passwords must comply with the following requirements.

• Must be between 8 and 20 characters long.
• Must be different from the User ID, and different from the most recent password.
  • Note that simply changing the case of letters in the most recent password is not sufficient!
• Must contain at least one digit (although not in the first position), one lowercase letter, and one uppercase letter.
• Must not contain any non-alphanumeric characters (e.g., !@#$%^&*,;).
• Must be complex, i.e. no simple dictionary words.
• For more info, see http://www.upenn.edu/computing/da/orapass.html.

Problems with Passwords

Your account will be locked after five unsuccessful login attempts. It will automatically unlock after 30 minutes. This feature prevents malicious hackers from running dictionary attacks on your account. You can contact the UL Tech Services help desk and they will be able to unlock it.