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UCInetID

UCInetID Password Management

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IDM
Your UCInetID is your key to online services at the University of California, Irvine. Many online services, including SNAP, WebFiles, Webmail and OIT Mailbox Services, EEE, WebReg, and numerous others, require you to use your UCInetID and password in order to log in.

You should never share your password with anyone, or write it down anyplace it might be observed.  So, what can you do in the event you forget your password?

OIT provides a self-help system for resetting a forgotten password and choosing a new password.  (You may not choose a previously used password.)

To reset your password, go to the Activate web site and select “Reset my Forgotten Password” at the bottom.  The reset page will begin by asking for your UCInetID, your birthdate, and the last four digits of your Social Security number.

This will then take you to a page where you will answer the question you selected at the time you last activated your UCInetID.  Then choose a new password.  If you are unable to supply the authentication information, OIT can reset your password. Call the Help Desk from a campus phone or visit our walk-in Help Desk in Aldrich 115 with photo ID.

Staff and faculty of the UCI Medical School need to work with the HAIS help desk (x43434 on campus or 714-456-3333 at the Medical Center) to change a UCInetID password.

More information on UCInetIDs and identity management can be found on the UCInetID FAQ.

UCI Identity and Access Management Website

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IAT-NACS provides a suite of identity management, authentication, and authorization services collectively referred to as Identity and Access Management services. A group of web pages has been developed describing UCI network identities (e.g., UCInetIDs), how they work, and how they will evolve.  There is a wealth of information for those interested in technical details.  Here are some highlights.

The campus directory provides contact information for campus affiliates, and allows you to control certain information pertaining to your network presence on campus, such as the server your UCI email should be sent to.

UCInetIDs are network identities issued to campus affiliates.  With your UCInetID and password, you can access a variety of online services, many through WebAuth.  IAT has recently extended UCInetID authentication, with appropriate limits, to applicants for admission, and third parties for whom some services will be provided.

UC Trust is a system for using each campus’s network authentication system (UCInetIDs at UCI) to access services, as appropriate, provided by other UC campuses as well as some companies whose services are restricted to UC affiliates.

Because UCInetIDs are so vital to conducting University business, IAT has developed plans for enhancing UCInetID security.  Also, as the number of users, past and present, grows, it will be necessary to upgrade UCInetIDs beyond their current 8-character limit.  You can read about this project online as well.

The Life and Death of a UCInetID

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Many campus network and computer services are reserved for faculty, staff, and students, and your network identity (UCInetID) is the key to accessing them.

People who separate from the University are no longer eligible for some or all such services, and their UCInetIDs are subject to deletion.  It may be helpful to understand the policies for UCInetID deletion.

The UCInetIDs of faculty and staff who separate from the University become eligible for deletion when their records are removed from the campus payroll database.  In general, you will receive notification of pending deletion 60 days after removal from the payroll database, and the actual deletion will take place 30 days later.  Retirees may request to retain their UCInetID and certain services, such as email.  Faculty awarded emeritus status retain full UCInetID privileges.

Students lose email and services 1 year after they leave unless they graduate and apply for lifetime alumni services, although access to Registrar services continue for at least 2 years.

UCInetIDs for Applicants

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Admissions site for applicants

NACS has expanded the availability of campus network identities this year for the first time to include applicants for admission to the university.

Since applicants now have the ability to officially authenticate to UCInet, units such as the Registrar, Admissions, Financial Aid, and Housing can offer online information and support to potential students without creating their own systems of identification, providing applicants more uniform and convenient access to these resources.

NACS issued over 64,000 UCInetIDs to applicants this year.

Password Security

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NACS has recently upgraded its password infrastructure to allow for longer passwords. Longer passwords are more secure because it becomes prohibitively difficult to discover a password by computationally grinding through all the possibilities. The “rules” for choosing a good password still stand: use a combination of upper- and lower-case letters, numbers, and punctuation; don’t use recognizable strings (dictionary words, runs of keys as they appear on the keyboard, multiple copies of the same letter) or personal information (name, UCInetID, birthday, employee ID number). A summary of password guidelines can be found at http://www.nacs.uci.edu/ucinetid/password.html

It is also strongly recommended to change your password at least once a year. Long-lived passwords accumulate risk as the number of times and places they are used increases. One of the major risks today’s users are exposed to are so-called “key loggers,” small programs that hide on a computer and watch everything that is typed. Regular security scans (e.g., virus checkers), applying security patches, and caution with regard to opening email attachments or visiting unfamiliar web sites will help protect you from key loggers.

Security may seem inconvenient, and costs the University resources that we’d rather use in other ways, but it is an inescapable part of providing reliable network services, and much cheaper than the loss of valuable research data or identity theft. NACS will continue to watch the security landscape, make necessary advances in network security, and work with users and departments to help protect UCI.