Another tip in a series provided by the Offices of Information Security, Information Systems & Computing and Audit, Compliance & Privacy.

Sooner or later, you will forget your PennKey password and need a reset. Take five minutes today to protect yourself from frustration and stress while improving Penn’s security posture at the same time.

Every day, the University’s IT service desks and support providers assist users with dozens of PennKey password resets. Each reset requires the user to be “Identity Proofed,” usually by answering personal questions or presenting government-issued IDs before an administrator can issue a new PennKey setup code. It is a time-consuming, expensive, inconvenient, and relatively insecure process for both Penn and the user.

If a PennKey holder happens to be locked out and away from campus outside of business hours, password reset support is only available over email, meaning the reset process can easily take more than a day to complete.

It does not have to be this way.

For the last two years, Penn has offered PennKey Self-Service Password Reset (SSPR), but many PennKey holders still have not signed up to take advantage of the system. Registration takes five minutes or less, and only includes verifying a personal email address and phone number, which can be used to communicate reset codes and change notices to you securely when you get locked out.

With SSPR enabled, performing a password reset for yourself is simple and secure. Click the “forgotten password” link on the PennKey login page and follow the prompts to receive a rescue code via your pre-registered contact information and complete the reset. The entire process takes only a few minutes and is available 24/7, anywhere in the world.

Registering for SSPR protects you from inconvenience and stress, while improving Penn’s overall security posture and dramatically reducing the demand for live support. Please register today at https://pennkeysupport.upenn.edu/recovery-service.

For additional tips, see the One Step Ahead link on the Information Security website: https://www.isc.upenn.edu/security/news-alerts#One-Step-Ahead.