Information Security Updates

With the shift to a remote workforce and online instruction, it is more critical than ever to remain diligent about cybersecurity. Please remember to read emails carefully and do not click links or respond to questionable contacts or strange emails. When in doubt, contact the sender to confirm the email came from them and report any incidents to the Office of Information Technology (IT) Service Desk at 718-990-5000.

University password rules for expiration continue to remain in effect during this time. If your network password is expiring within the next 10 days, you will receive a system-generated email reminding you to change your password. As a reminder, the password requirements are as follows:

• at least 10 characters in length
• contains at least one upper and one lowercase letter
• contains both numeric and alphanumeric characters, including at least one special character
• is not any of your last five passwords.

To change your password, visit MySJU and click “Forgot or Change Password” and follow the prompts. This will change your password used to access University resources, such as email, Office 365, WebEx, VPN, MySJU, Banner, and file shares.

Please note that when changing your network password while off campus, the new password will not immediately activate for logging into your University-issued laptop. To activate the new password on your University-issued laptop, first log in using your old password and then connect that laptop to VPN to sync the new password with laptop.  

Note that even after connecting your University laptop to VPN, there may be delays in your new password being synched. If you currently use Remote Desktop to access your desktop on campus, please reset your password using the above instructions or contact the IT Service Desk for assistance. 

In addition, a new important security feature will be rolled out in May after the spring semester is completed. This will add a second level of authentication when logging in to email and Office 365, more commonly referred to as two-factor or multifactor authentication. For those employees who are Banner users, this is the same service for which you have already registered and are using for Banner. More information about this service can be found here.

Also, the annual required security training, which typically is sent out in April, is rescheduled for May.

Please look for further communication on both of these initiatives.

If you have any questions or need assistance with changing your password, please contact the IT Service Desk at 718-990-5000. Thank you for your continued support to help us protect the University from cybersecurity threats. 

Anne Rocco Pacione, Chief Information Officer