Network Passwords

Your password is what gives you access to all university resources, including logging into your office and classroom computers, BOLT, ISIS, Outlook Web App, Remote Access Service (VPN), and the ESS Portal.

Please be aware Bloomsburg University technology support will never ask you for your password or other confidential information through email. Please read the important phishing information at the bottom of this page.

Network Password Requirements

Employees must adhere to the following password requirements when changing their password:

• Your password must be at least 8 characters long and not contain your username, first name, or last name.
• It must include characters from at least three of the four categories (UPPERCASE, lowercase, a numeric digit 0-9, a symbol such as !, $, %, etc.)
• It may not be changed more than once every 24 hours.
• It may not be identical to any of your last 3 passwords.

Passwords expire every 90 days - employees will be prompted to set a new one (when logging into a campus computer or Outlook Web App), keeping in mind the above requirements.

Changing Network Password

• From a computer on campus, login to the computer then hit Ctrl+Alt+Del and select change password.
• From off campus you can use webmail to change your password. Login to Outlook Web App, then click on options in the upper right section of the screen, then click "Change Your Password".

Forget your password? Reset it.

There are two different ways to handle this situation.

• Utilize the Password Reset System (**See info about new password reset system below**) at https://password.bloomu.edu/
• Click the "Forgot My Password" button on a campus computer login screen or on the Outlook Web App login page.

About the password reset system

The new system will ask you three questions:

1) What are the last 4 digits of your ISO number?

Your ISO number is printed on the bottom right of your university identification card.

2) What is your birth date?

(MM/DD/YYYY)
Make sure you enter the slashes, full year and leading zeros
(example) 01/02/1959

3) What is your employee number?

Your employee ID number. Unsure of employee number? It is on payroll statements, or you could check with your department secretary.

Who uses the password reset system?

The password reset system is only available for University employees.

Non-employees, for the time being, will still need to contact the help desk to have their password reset.

Students should use the student password page.

Invalid Login or Reset Attempts

After five (5) invalid login attempts (i.e., entering the wrong password when logging onto a campus computer or a university website such as Outlook Web App or Remote Access Service), an account will be locked for ten (10) minutes.

When using the password reset tool, if there are five (5) invalid attempts to reset a password (i.e. at least one invalid answer to the 3 questions 5 times in a row), the password reset system will unavailable for your account for one hour.

Still need assistance?

If you still need assistance after trying to reset your password, please contact the Help Desk.

Please keep your password to yourself

Please be aware Bloomsburg University technology support will never ask you for your password or other confidential information through email. EDUs are the target of many malicious phishing email scams where someone outside the organization tries to persuade you to reply with your password or click on a link and enter your password into a web form. They claim you need to do this to receive additional disk space, to upgrade your account, or to prevent your account termination. These emails have never and will never come from Bloomsburg University and you should never respond to them. Please forward these types of suspicious e-mail messages to the Bloomsburg University E-mail Administrator at the address postmaster@bloomu.edu. If you have already responded to a phishing email and given your password, please change your password IMMEDIATELY and never set your password back to the compromised password you gave to the spammer. If you are ever not sure, please do not reply and instead contact the Help Desk. For full detailed information about phishing messages including examples of actual phishing messages that have been sent to university accounts, check the Phishing information page.