4 February 2020 - Identity Management Update your Uni ID password NOW!

Why is this password change necessary?

As of 01 January 2020 the URZ has introduced new password guidelines. These rules allow using much more complex passwords, especially with regard to password length.

Simple passwords are a major security risk - and yet they are widely used. Current malware often exploits this fact and checks, for example, whether an attacking system is protected with poor but common passwords like "123456". More complex passwords can make this and many other ways of intrusion much more cumbersome.

This one-time, large-scale password change is intended to increase the complexity level of all Uni ID passwords in the long term. We have refrained from forcing users to change their password regularly, and will continue to do so in the future - in line with recent recommendations issued by the Federal Office for Information Security (BSI).
 
By changing your password, you help to improve the IT security of the entire university - and ultimately protect your own data as well.

Who is affected by the new Password Policy?

All users of an Uni ID are affected by the new Password Policy.

Project IDs are not included in this change.

What guidelines are required for my new password?

The new password guidelines:

- A minimum of 12 characters and a maximum of 45
- The first character of the password must be a letter
- No umlauts (ä, Ä, ö, Ö, ü, Ü, ß)
- Your password may not contain your Uni-ID, your first, or your last name.

In addition, the password should include at least three of the following categories with characters allowed:

- Capital letters: A,B,C,D,E,F,G,H,I,J,K,L,M,N,O,P,Q,R,S,T,U,V,W,X,Y,Z
- Lower case letters: a,b,c,d,e,f,g,h,i,j,k,l,m,n,o,p,q,r,s,t,u,v,w,x,y,z
- Digits: 0,1,2,3,4,5,6,7,8,9
- Special characters: -,!,?,$,&,*,+,#,%

Do I have to change my password even if it is compliant with the new Password Policy?

The new Password Policy is effective as of January 1, 2020.

All passwords generated after this date are already compliant with the new Password Policy.

All other users are asked to update their password.

What will happen if I haven't changed my password by February 29, 2020?

If you have not changed your password by February 29, 2020 your Uni-ID will be blocked. To unlock it again, you have to go to an IT-Service Point and renew your password on-site.

I am using a device connected to eduroam to change my password. What do I need to keep in mind?

Our recommendation: Download the latest version of the eduroam CAT tool  before changing your password. It will allow you to easily create a new eduroam WiFi profile if necessary.

In many cases, entering the new password for your eduroam settings will suffice to stay connected. However, on some devices, you will have to setup a new eduroam WiFi profile by using the eduroam CAT tool. The how-to “Change to the new eduroam Profile” tells you how to purge the old profile and setup a new one.

Already lost your connection to eduroam? In this case you can also use the WiFi networks UNI-HEIDELBERG or UNI-WEBACCESS (using a VPN connection for internet access) on campus to download the eduroam CAT tool.

I have updated my password and eduroam does not work anymore.

Since your Uni ID provides access to the eduroam network, you will also have change the password saved in the various eduroam configurations on your devices. Depending on the device and on the operating system, simply changing the password to your new Uni-ID password may suffice to reestablish the connection to eduroam.

Changing the password did not help? On some devices, you will have to setup a new eduroam WiFi profile by using the eduroam CAT tool. The how-to “Change to the new eduroam Profile” tells you how to purge the old profile and setup a new one.

Need an alternative connection? You can also use the WLAN networks UNI-HEIDELBERG or UNI-WEBACCESS (using a VPN connection for internet access) on campus to download the eduroam CAT tool.