The Problem With Default Passwords

Campuses invest heavily in IT applications to increase student retention and improve student success. But, for these initiatives to yield fruition, users need to be able to access and use them in a hassle-free and secure manner. Single Sign-On is a great way to enhance user experience, drive adoption of multiple applications by eliminating the need for application-specific passwords. How can IT Admins dispatch credentials to new users?

The most common route IT teams take is to use default passwords. However, there are several challenges around the idea and execution of default passwords:

1. Security leak – Using default passwords which are usually a combination of known factors such as the user’s name, date of birth, user ID etc. This is easy to guess and creates a huge opportunity for a potential intruder to gain unauthorized access.

2. Dispatch of default passwords – There are several challenges with respect to how default credentials is delivered to the user. Some methods include:

• a. Sending default credentials to user’s personal email
• b. Use of sticky notes on user devices
• c. Making it part of the welcome kit specific to each user

Although, these are largely commonplace, the amount of effort, time and logistics that go into it can be eliminated by automating ‘First Time User’ registration process.

3. Non-compliant users – Although IT teams insist enough number of times that users change their default passwords and set up stronger ones, there is always a set of users who would not comply and continue using default passwords. This increases the security risks by giving a potential intruder an easy route on a golden platter.

‘First Time User’ Self-Registration

QuickLaunch helps campuses onboard first-time users through self-registration from the Single Sign-On portal. Users can click on ‘First Time User’ on the portal and register themselves by generating their user name and password. Additionally, users can set up account recovery options, security questions and multi-factor authentication modes.

Benefits:

1. Fortified Security – Eliminate default passwords and vanquish any possibility of intruder access using predictable defaults.

2. Operational Ease for IT teams – QuickLaunch eases operations for the onboarding team by eliminating the need to create and dispatch default passwords.

3. Enforce Strong Passwords for All users – Users can no longer continue to use weak, predictable default passwords and need to set complex, hard-to-guess, unique passwords to access critical applications.