Information Security Projects

UCit/InfoSec Projects - Identity Management (IDM)

UCit is working on a series of projects to enhance identity management at UC. These projects will bring strong wins for those who use IT systems at UC — and those who support those systems.

Future phases of the IDM project

• The email team is working to change the student email system. Part of that work will be to connect the student email system to IDM so the password for email will be the same as for One Stop and all other connected systems. For more information on UCconnect, click here!
• IDM Connectors are being offered to individual UC colleges to allow the college to keep their local student directories in sync with the central system. This allows colleges to sync the passwords for their local applications with the passwords used in other central systems like One Stop, Student Email and Blackboard, as well as reducing the administrative overhead currently spent by the colleges to maintain student data on their local systems.

As this project progresses, UCit will initiate more efforts in the overall IDM project. This site will be kept up to date with information you need to know, so please check back.

The University of Cincinnati is constantly working to improve the online campus experience for everyone at UC. In the past few years, several projects have been implemented to improve identity management.

Central Login and Blackboard updated to enforce case sensitivity - April 15, 2009

Last year, UCit implemented the ability for users to use strong passwords across all the systems connected to the IDM ring. A person could then use PSS to change their password to something strong (minimum of 8 characters with at least one upper-case, one lower-case and one number) and expect their strong password to properly synchronize to all connected systems.

Previously, the system enforced at the 8 character minimum and the requirement that at least one number be used, but it was not enforcing the use of both upper- and lowercase. Because of this, many people at UC had been logging in to CLS systems and Blackboard with an all-lowercase version of their password.

On April 15, 2009 the system began enforcing the use of the mixed case on all CLS pages and on Blackboard.

Remember that you need to use a password that has both the upper- and lowercase letters. If you cannot remember your password, go to PSS forgotten password page, answer your questions, and choose a new password that meets the standards. That password will synchronize to all connected systems and be immediately usable.

If further help is needed, please refer them to the UCit Helpdesk at 556-HELP.

Blackboard Joined IDM - December 22, 2008

After December 22, you will use the same password for Blackboard that you use on One Stop, Central Login (CLS) and other synchronized systems. When you need to change your password, use PSS, One Stop or Central Login and your password will change in all other connected systems.

Please note that this change does not affect Blackboard users using visitor accounts or guest accounts. Visitor and guest accounts will continue to log in to Blackboard using their current username and password.

UC Embraced Strong Passwords - July 29, 2008

Security of central systems at UC was significantly enhanced now that the university requires strong passwords. A strong password uses more than just the standard lowercase alphabet, is not a word found in any dictionary, and is at least eight characters long. An audit of passwords in use at UC showed that it was common for a password to be a standard English word of only four or five characters. Such passwords can be broken in less than a minute by someone using password cracking software that is freely available.

For tips on selecting a strong password that is easy to remember, please visit http://www.uc.edu/infosec/HowToChooseAPassword.htm

We highly recommend that you administer your password through the new Password Self-Service (PSS) tool at https://www.uc.edu/PSS