USC Provost IT is excited to announce a new program designed to merge your USC NetID password and your Provost account password into a single, USC-wide passphrase. This process, called passphrase synchronization, will simplify the login process for university and department systems by reducing the number of passwords needed to manage and will increase passphrase security across the university.

What do I need to do?

You will need to change either your current USC NetID password OR your current Provost account password before August 24^th, 2018. Your new passphrase must be at least 16 characters in length; however, it will no longer require complex symbols or characters. You only need to change your passphrase in one of the two locations. The other passphrase will automatically be updated to match. Even if you currently use the same password for both your Provost account and USC NetID, you will still be required to change that password before August 24^th.

After changing your password, you may also have to update mail apps or USC Secure Wireless settings on your smartphone, tablet or other devices.

How do I change my password?

You may change your password using either of the following two options:

• To change your USC NetID password, go to edu/changepassword and follow the onscreen instructions. You can also press the Change Your Password link on the Popular Logins section of the ITS website (itservices.usc.edu). Please note that when you change your password, you may see a message stating that it must be between 12 to 64 characters long. To comply with new University-wide requirements, your password still needs to be a minimum of 16 characters in length (not 12).
• To change your Provost account password, press Ctrl + Alt + Delete on your work-issued Windows desktop or laptop and click Change a Password. Enter your current password (you will be prompted for “Old Password”) as well as a new one that is at least 16 characters long. Confirm that your new password matches in both fields and submit the form.

What is passphrase synchronization?

Passphrase synchronization will allow users to log in to multiple university systems using a single passphrase, including systems you currently access via your USC NetID (“Shibboleth” account) and your Provost account password. Going forward, when you change either one of these passphrases, the other will automatically and immediately update to match it.

Questions?

We look forward to the improved security and simplicity this new system will bring for our users. If you have any questions about the program, please contact Provost IT. You may also contact the 24/7 ITS Customer Support Center by calling (213) 740-5555.