From OIT: Fisher Community Required to Perform Password Reset

September 11, 2023

By Sunday, Oct. 1, Fisher community members with network accounts must reset their passwords to include at least 12 characters. Going forward, passwords will only need to be updated ONCE a year.

A security risk assessment conducted over the summer determined that Fisher's current password requirements pose a risk to its information security posture. To better protect St. John Fisher University, as well as students, faculty, and staff, OIT is updating its password requirements.

What is changing?

  1. Password minimum character length will increase to TWELVE characters.
  2. Passwords will need to be changed only ONCE per year.

What do I have to do?

All Fisher community members with network accounts must perform a password reset by Sunday, Oct. 1, regardless of the length of your current password or the date it was last changed. This includes students, faculty, staff, alumni, and retirees.

When do I have to change my password?

The twelve-character password requirement is effective immediately and the deadline to reset your password is Sunday, Oct. 1

If you do not change your password prior to the deadline, your password will automatically expire on Monday, Oct. 2, and you will lose access to University system resources until you complete a password reset.

How do I change my password?

Students, Alumni, Retirees, and Employees without a Fisher computer: Please use the self-service password change tool available here: My Account (microsoft.com) from any computer. Once you have accessed the site, click on ‘Change Password’ located in the center of the page.

Employees with an SJF computer: OIT strongly recommends performing the password reset using a Fisher computer while on-campus and connected to the network. If you reset your password while off-campus, you must connect to the network using VPN prior to resetting your password. Then, lock and unlock your computer (do not log off or restart) while still connected to VPN. This keeps your network password and the password stored on your Fisher-issued computer in sync.

Use the self-service password change tool available here - My Account (microsoft.com) - click on ‘Change Password’ located in the center of the page.

Who do I contact for assistance?

If you have any questions, call the OIT Service Desk at (585) 385-8016 or email oitservicedesk@sjf.edu.