Resetting Passwords--Policy Change

As attempts to break in to computers become more and more common, it is critical that user's passwords be secure. In the past when people have forgotten passwords SSCC staff have accepted requests to reset them in a variety of ways, some of which did not allow us to be absolutely sure of the identity of the person making the request. With the approval of the SSCC Steering Committee, we will be limiting the ways users can request that their passwords be reset. However, we have implemented a way that users can reset their own passwords via the web.

Please visit https://www.ssc.wisc.edu/sscc_jsp/password/questions.jsp at your earliest convenience. This page will allow you to choose three security questions and answer them. Should you forget your SSCC password, you'll be able to answer the questions you gave and reset your password by visiting https://www.ssc.wisc.edu/sscc_jsp/password/reset.jsp.

Should you forget the answers to your security questions as well as your password, the SSCC consultant will still be able to help you. But we ask that you come to the consulting office in person and bring some form of picture ID with you. That way we can verify your identity. We recognize that this will not always be possible and we will work with you to find an alternative way of establishing who you are if needed. But it is our hope that having the ability to reset your own password using security questions will make these kinds of situations extremely rare.

Requesting New Accounts

We've also streamlined the method for requesting new accounts, making it entirely web-based and paperless. The process is actually more complicated to describe than to do. To make an initial request, visit https://www.ssc.wisc.edu/sscc_jsp/account/new.jsp. This page requires no personal information about the new user, so it can be filled out by advisors, department administrators, or others as well as the person requesting the account. When that is done, the new user's group leader will get an email, asking them to visit another web page where they can approve the account and fill in any other information such as group memberships. Once the group leader has approved the request, SSCC staff will create the account and then send the new user and their group leader an email with instructions on how to activate the new account. In activating their account the new user will choose their security questions and password, and will then be ready to go to work.

If this sounds confusing, just visit https://www.ssc.wisc.edu/sscc_jsp/account/new.jsp and the program will tell you what to do at each step. This new procedure should make things much simpler for new users and the people who help them get started, especially those away from campus.