Passwords

[indie]

Kid: "My password isn't working"
Me: "So you've forgotten it?"
Kid: "No, my password just isn't working"
Me: "Well the server just doesn't forget your password"

Please tell me it's not just me who gets that? Anyone gone down any other routes?

We were thinking at one point about getting fingerprint readers and enrolling kids on mass, they're less inclined to forget their fingers each day!

[mark]

All the time yes

Gave teaching and admin staff the ability to reset passwords :twisted: [ using Password Control: http://www.wisesoft.co.uk/PasswordControlv2.php ]

Someone mentioned fining them 10p per change for a good cause - seems like a good idea!

[SteveT]

Snotty, grotty sticky fingers in fingerprint readers!!!!!????

Reckon some sort of olfactory device would be more effective. Year 10 boys could then log-on at 100 yards.............200 yards after PE!!! 8O

[Jake]

We get a similar situation, with one key difference. Can you spot it ?

Teacher: "My password isn't working"
Me: "So you've forgotten it?"
Teacher: "No, my password just isn't working"
Me: "Well the server just doesn't forget your password"

[andy]

Yup - we get both! Our librarian can change passwords - it's quite nice to palm people off on her from time to time

Andy.

[Norphy]

You are not the only one to get that by any means. What I generally do is make them log onto a handy PC and try again. Nine times out of ten they manage to log on and then they say "Oh, its working now". Tell them to turn the caps lock off and kick them out :P

[Ric_]

I created a MMC and placed a shortcut to it on the Staff desktop. Any kids being sent to me for a password reset get sent back to the teacher.

[Gatt]

We tried that with the ICT teachers, but one of them wasn't locking his PC when he wasn't near it , so the kids (year 11 i believe) found out rather quickly that not only could they change their own password, but everyone elses as well, alonng with usernames!!

What they didnt realise with the usernames what that it also mapped their home drives - and promptly lost all access to their GCSE work!

The MMC's were just as quickly deleted from the teachers desktops ..

[webman]

Kid: Sir, I Forgot me password.
Us: OK, well..... we've forgotten our password as well; I'm afraid there's nothing we can do for you.

--

Kid: Sir, I forgot me password.
Us: Right, OK... let me just change it. .. wait .. There you go, done...
Kid: What is it then?
Us: Well, I can't tell you that, obviously.
Kid: Why not?
Us: Security breach. Only one person should have access to the password. And your account wouldn't be secure if you, me and the other people in this room knew what your password was.

--

Get hold of an alphanumeric mixed-case password generator, and use this to generate 10-character passwords for them. Which you then write down on paper. In your worst hand writing. Using your opposite writing hand. In bright pink ink. (Making sure they can't change their own password for a week) :twisted:

[Norphy]

We tried that with the ICT teachers, but one of them wasn't locking his PC when he wasn't near it , so the kids (year 11 i believe) found out rather quickly that not only could they change their own password, but everyone elses as well, alonng with usernames!!

We're trialling that at the moment. However we've only given the teachers the authority to change passwords and even then only on a certain OU. They can't do too much damage with it thank god

[plexer]

Don't know why the wisesoft solutions says about a bloated mmc interface I have a view in one thats cut down and only shows the students so all our reception staff have to do is go into the right year and select the student then click on "change password" not rocket science really.

I even send kids to reception if they come to me hopefully the inconvenience of walking that far will help them remember.

Ben

[woody]

Norphy's situation sounds familiar. If the kids get out of lesson to come to you, more often than not forgetting their password is a convenience and an excuse to get out of some work. We used a password utility and gave ict teachers access to it - this at the command of the ict co-ordinator.

After several members of staff found that their password had changed, and our securus system came up with access to porn on their user account, we where immediately told to remove access to the password changer. Oh how the tide turns!

One suggestion could be that you set the passwords yourself and set the GP to stop them changing it. Then give each teacher who needs one a list of the passwords. That should save them coming to you, although it will increase user fraud.

[Ric_]

@woody: It's very easy to only allow password changing for certain OUs - this is how I do it (using the delegation wizard). I will soon be giving SLT access to change staff passwords - this was requested in case I'm unavailable.

All our users' sessions lock after x minutes which helps prevent staff leaving their machines unlocked.

[SpuffMonkey]

The forgotten password syndrome got so out of control here that we set the student's passwords for them and don't allow changes. The password lists are accessible (under password) on a teacher only part of the network. I'm not convinced this is particularly secure - but it has pretty much eliminated the queue of kids outside my door. Oh - and the teachers were unwilling to take on responsibility of being able to reset passwords..

[Face-Man]

Please tell me it's not just me who gets that? Anyone gone down any other routes?

We were thinking at one point about getting fingerprint readers and enrolling kids on mass, they're less inclined to forget their fingers each day!

We have been using biometric logon here for about 3 years with mixed success. The biggest problem is it is expensive very expensive... On the plus side it has elimenated students getting into staff areas, cut down inapropriate web browsing (you must have been there your finger was 2minutes before) and elimenated the login as a friend delete there work situation. enrolment is easy you just do it the first time they use a PC. But unless you have a very forward thinking SMT or pots of money don't go there for example each keyboard cost £100 they are made by cherry and the low tech keyboard bit goes wrong on a regular basis..

PS you can really scare some kids when you first anounce it. I had one 6th former who would not use it as he didn't believe it wasn't linked to the police..