Passwords

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IMPORTANT

Information Services will NEVER ask for your OWU password via e-mail. You should NEVER send any password via e-mail, as it's completely unsecured. If you receive a message that asks you to send your OWU username and password via-email -- even from an owu.edu address -- do NOT reply to it. It is a spam tactic known as "phishing" to trick you into compromising your OWU e-mail account. For an example of such a message, see below.

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Contents

Changing Your OWU Password
Forgot Your Password?
Three Distinct Passwords
Sample Phishing Email
Related Links
External Links

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To change your OWU password (for e-mail, J/CX, BishopNet and Blackboard)

1. Go to the Change Password page.
2. Enter your username and password (the username must be entered in lowercase.)
3. When it updates the page, enter your current password in the first box, and a new password in the second and third boxes. The new password must be at least six characters in length, must contain only alphanumeric character or the underscore (_), and must not contain any other punctuation or spaces. Passwords are Case Sensitive. That is, "badpaswrd" and "BaDpaSwD" are not the same. Choose a password that's easy to remember but hard to guess.

You may also change your password through the My Account section of your J/CX Web Access, which is also where you can set a secret question.

Forgot Your Password?

If you forget your password, you must obtain a new password.

• Students, faculty and staff who are trying to access their accounts must visit Information Services located on the first floor of the R.W. Corns Building. Be sure to bring your ID card as you will be required to present it. A new, temporary password will be generated.
• Alumni who are trying to access their E-mail For Life accounts can contact Alumni Records at alumefl@owu.edu.

Passwords will not be given out by phone or by e-mail and Information Services will never ask for your password via email. Be sure you know your password and have verified that it works before you leave campus for breaks!

If you forget your password but you have created a secret question and answer within J/CX Web Access, you can change your password without having to remember the old one. To do this, go to the Password Hint Web page.

Three Distinct Passwords

There are currently three separately maintained credential stores used for the majority of our computer services:

1. The campus LDAP directory (controls access to almost everything, including e-mail, J/CX Web, wireless, dial-in via modems, PCounter print metering, pGina login on public PCs, etc.) These passwords never expire. Account removal warnings are routinely (every month) send out to those users who are no longer eligible for LDAP accounts. The accounts are then removed of any who fail to successfully appeal within two weeks. Your initial LDAP password will be a randomly generated string of letters (both upper and lower case) and numbers. This password is Case Sensitive.
2. For faculty & staff only, there is the Windows Active Directory server that controls access to Windows servers and shares within the 'OWU' Windows network domain, such as access to the G: and H: drives. These passwords also never expire. Your initial Windows password will be blank. This password is also Case Sensitive.
3. For a select number of employees based on job function, the Jenzabar database server credential store controls access to the Jenzabar CX database server via the "blue screen" character-based interface and other gateways. The e-mail message template on the JCX page is only relevant for this password. These passwords are currently set to expire every 12 months. Users with an account on the Jenzabar server get that e-mail message every day beginning two weeks prior to password expiration until they change the password or until the two weeks expire, whichever comes first. Your initial Jenzabar password will be provided by an IS Administrative Computing staff person. This password is Case Sensitive as well.

Sample Phishing Email

Dear Webmail User,
 
This message was sent automatically by a program on Webmail which
periodically checks the size of inboxes, where new messages are received.
The program is run weekly to ensure no one's inbox grows too large. If
your inbox becomes too large, you will be unable to receive new email.
Just before this message was sent, you had 18 Megabytes (MB) or more of
messages stored in your inbox on your Webmail. To help us re-set your
SPACE on our database prior to maintain your INBOX, you must reply to
this e-mail and enter your
 
Current User name ( )
and Password( ).
 
You will continue to receive this warning message periodically if your
inbox size continues to be between 18 and 20 MB. If your inbox size grows
to 20 MB, then a program on Bates Webmai
will move your oldest email to a
folder in your home directory to ensure that you will continue to be able
to receive incoming email. You will be notified by email that this has
taken place. If your inbox grows to 25 MB, you will be unable to receive
new email as it will be returned to the sender.
After you read a message, it is best to REPLY and SAVE it to
another folder.
 
Thank you for your cooperation.
WEBMAIL Help Desk

See Important note, above.

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Related Links

Computer Security
Network Security

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External Links

Change Password page

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Still need help?

For assistance please contact the help desk.