Collection of pages concerning activation, usernames and passwords. This page is for international employees and students and persons who do not use the Norwegian "Min-ID" system.

Norsk versjon: Brukernavn og passord

Topic page about IT services | Pages labelled with password

Remember that it takes about 10 minutes after password change before the new password works.

Often used

• Activate your user account. For new students and employees from abroad.
• Forgot password. If you have forgotten your NTNU password.
• Change password. If you remember your password, but want to change it.
• Forgot username. If you have forgotten your NTNU username or email address.
• Quarantine. If you ended your studies or if your employment has ended.
• After activating your NTNU user account. The page you come to after activation.

Good password practice

A good password should be easy for you to remember, but hard for others to guess, computers included. Do not write it down.

1. The password should be as long as possible and must contain at least 10 characters. NTNU passwords have to contain at least one character from the following four groups:
   • Upper-case letters: A–Z
   • Lower-case letters: a–z
   • Numbers: 0–9
   • The following special characters: !#()*+,.=?@[]_{}-
   • Spaces and the letters "æ", "ø" and "å" are not accepted.
   • You cannot reuse previous passwords, nor can you use passwords that are too similar to previous passwords.
2. Create your own mnemonic rule for the password. As an example, you can use a sentence that is easy to remember, and add something unique to each password. Suggestions: "Old-macdonald-had-a-farm-at-NTNU" or "Old-macdonald-had-a-farm-on-Facebook".
3. Do not use your NTNU password for other services like Facebook, Amazon, etc. If someone is able to break it, they can easily obtain access to other systems using the same password. Your password is often the only thing protecting your information and identity. If someone gets a hold of one of your passwords, unique passwords will make sure that the other services you use are not affected.
4. Change your NTNU password at least once every two years, or immediately if you suspect that it might have fallen into the wrong hands. Add password change as a recurring event in your calendar. Use a password manager if you have several accounts and passwords to keep track of. A password manager will help you create unique passwords for each service and will limit the damage in the event of an incident.
   A good and recommended password manager is BitWarden. BitWarden has a free version that syncs between all your devices, and is also available as an app for iPhone and Android.

Avoiding scams and phishing

• NTNU will never send you an email asking you to state your username and password. Emails from us regarding password changes will point to information about how you can change your password.
• Be alert to scam attempts, also known as phishing. Scammers will often ask for your user name and password, "due to internal changes in the IT system". Your user account can be misused for spam, industrial espionage and identity theft.
• Scam attempts come in many different forms. Some ask you to send your information by email, but the most common method is to provide you with a link to a false login page where you are requested to log on with your user name and password.
• Be aware of where the link (URL) takes you. Hover over the link (without clicking) to see the address. If it's an unfamiliar address, don't click it. When in doubt, contact Orakel Support Services.
• Keep your password secret at all times!
• You should always be sceptical of incoming email.
• Do not reply to emails requesting you to enter personal information like user names and passwords.
• NTNU will try to prevent any scam attempts we discover, but it is not possible for us to restrict the use of links (URLs) that are used.

If you are the victim of a phishing attempt where you suspect that your user name and password has been exposed, you should immediately contact Orakel Support Services for assistance. The IT regulations state that you are obliged to change your password if you know or suspect that someone knows your password.

Avoid changing passwords while on travel

If you use a Windows computer owned by NTNU outside an NTNU campus, we recommend that you are particularly careful when changing passwords.

If something goes wrong in the process of changing the password, you might be unable to log in on an administered Windows computer with both the new and old password. If this happens, you must use a wired connection to the NTNU network in order to log in successfully.

If you are working outside the NTNU campus, on a Windows computer owned by NTNU, we recommend that you do the following when changing passwords:

1. Close all open programmes
2. Connect to VPN
3. Return to this page and click Change password. Follow the on-screen instructions
4. Wait for 30 minutes
5. Lock the computer using Ctrl-Alt-Del
6. Press Ctrl-Alt-Del and log on to the computer with your new password

If the new password does not work, please wait a few minutes and try again.

Mac, private computers and mobile devices

On Mac, private computers and mobile devices, you have to manually enter the new password in email readers, in wireless network setup (Eduroam) and in print setup after password change. Remember that it takes about 20 minutes after password change before the new password works on all systems.

If you have an NTNU-managed Mac, you must use the old password on the first login after password change. After logging in, a dialog box will appear, asking you to enter your new password, and synchronize it with the local login password.

FAQ

Q: I changed my password and my Wi-Fi doesn't work

A: When you have changed your password, you will lose your wireless connection (eduroam) after a while. You will receive a notification on your computer or mobile device.

On mobile devices, you will typically not receive any other notification than losing access to IT services and/or a notification about a lack of internet connection. Click on the wireless symbol or access the settings. You will be asked to enter your username and password. More about Wi-Fi

Q: I have activated my account, but can't log in?

A: You need to wait at least 20 minutes before you log in

Q: My browser remembers my password, and after I changed my password I can't log into anything.

A: If you have set your browser to remember your password, the password will not be automatically updated when you change it. The browser is trying to use the old password, and you will need to go into your browser setting and delete saved passwords.

Contact

Orakel Support Services can help if you have questions or if you encounter difficulties.