Password Self-Service (PSS) Help Page

Password Self-Service allows you to reset your password to any connected application without having to call helpdesk. You simply answer a few questions and, if you later forget your password, you can reset your password instantly using PSS. You will be prompted with your questions and then allowed to reset your password yourself!

PSS also allows you to reset your password at any time without having to provide answers to your questions if you simply log in normally.

Your new password must contain:

• - At least one lowercase letter
• - At least one uppercase letter
• - At least one number
• - Must be a minimum length of eight characters
• - Your password may not contain an form of your name or username
• - The system remembers passwords you have already used, and will not allow you to reuse an old password

To set up your Password Self-Service Profile, please visit: https://www.uc.edu/PSS

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This link will take you to a page where you are asked to log in to PSS using your current password. If you do not remember your current password, you will need to call the helpdesk one last time (513-556-HELP) to have your "Central Login" password reset.

Once logged in, you will see a screen that presents several questions for you to answer. Your answers to these questions can be anything you like, but if you provide the real answers it will be easier to remember the answers in several months or years when you need them. This set of questions is designed to make the answers easy to remember. The answers you provide will be encrypted and cannot be read by anyone, even the administrators of the system - see tab below for how it works.

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The questions you will see are:

• What are the last four of your SSN?
• What is your mother's maiden name?
• What is your birth date (MMDDYYYY)?
• Where were you born?
• What is your favorite color?
• What is your favorite animal?
• What is your favorite (or least favorite) food?
• Create your own question.

Remember, your answers will be encrypted and can be anything you like, but you need to provide answers you will remember weeks or months from now if you forget your password. The system is not case sensitive, so you don't need to worry about the difference between "answer" and "Answer".

Once you have entered your answers to these questions, click Submit. You will be shown a confirmation screen. Your PSS profile is now set up. If you forget your password to any connected applications, you may now reset your password yourself, using PSS.

Here is how your answers are kept safe: They are never saved!

When you submit an answer, say ‘forty-two’, the program encypts it to something like this ‘a16ca146e5e432fa7e30319121ea7473’.  It is this long string of gobbledy-gook that is stored in the database, not the actual information you input.  Later, when you provide your answer for a reset, the system will again encrypt the answer you provide then compare the encrypted result to the encrypted result saved when you set up PSS.  If the two encrypted values match, you provided the same input both times and the system allows you to reset your password.

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NOTE! The "Change Again" link you see is only there to let you easily go back if you want to modify anything you just entered. It is not a request to go do it again. You do not need to click this and enter new information!

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If you have forgotten your password, you can use PSS to change it to an new password.

Go to the PSS login page. This time, instead of trying to log in, click the "Forgot Password" link as shown by the green arrow in the screenshot to the right.

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You will be prompted for your username. Enter it (typically your 6+2), then click Submit

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You will then be presented with a few of your questions, chosen at random. The system is not case sensitive, so you don't need to worry about the difference between "answer" and "Answer".

Enter your answers, then click Submit

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You will then be permitted to enter a new password

You may also change your password at any time if you remember your current password. Simply log into PSS as discussed above. Then click on the "Change Password" link on the left hand side of the page. Using this tool you can change your password anytime you like without having to call helpdesk.

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Your new password must contain:

• - At least one lowercase letter
• - At least one uppercase letter
• - At least one number
• - Must be a minimum length of eight characters
• - Your password may not contain an form of your name or username
• - The system remembers passwords you have already used, and will not allow you to reuse an old password

Click submit to change. Your password will be changed in all connected systems

NOTE! The "Change Again" link you will see on the resulting page is only there to let you easily go back and change it again. It is not a request to do so. You do not need to click this and enter new password!

The Safari and Opera browsers are not technically supported by PSS. Safari and Opera will allow you to change and reset your password using PSS, but the initial setup of your security profile questions will require that you use Firefox or Internet Explorer (IE).

Firefox for Mac has been successfully tested and will allow you to do the one-time setup of your PSS profile as well as reset or change password.

If you do not wish to install Firefox or IE, you may complete your one-time PSS profile setup at any one of the windows-based computers available around campus. After that, you should be able to use your normal Safari or Opera browser to do password changes or resets. Otherwise, please call the UCit Helpdesk at 513 556-HELP

PSS works on Internet Explorer 6 or better and on Firefox 2 or better.

UCit Helpdesk is still here to provide assistance if needed. Simply call 513 556-HELP