Password expiry FAQ
This article is for students at Flinders Christian Community College. Parent/Guardian passwords do not expire. Staff should read the article Password expiry FAQ for staff.
Why does my password expire?
The longer you keep using the same old password, the more likely it is that someone will discover and use it. But if you change your password, the old one becomes useless to anyone who has stolen it. So the more frequently you change a password, the more secure it will be. Your password is set to automatically expire so you don't get into a habit of hanging onto the same password.
Never share your password with another person, and don't let anyone see you type it in. If someone steals your password, they can see your grades, upload random files into your assignments, download any files you have saved to Moodle, change your password, send Moodle messages pretending to be you, and more.
If you think someone has your password, change it immediately and report the matter to a teacher. Your teacher can speak with the technicians, who can often work out who has been using a stolen password.
How do I know that my password is about to expire?
If you use a college computer, you will see a reminder message every time you log in for five days before your password expires. No matter what device you use, you will also receive a Moodle message ten school days before your password expires. If you don't change your password, you will get messages five, three and two school days before the password expires, and one more message the day before.
Change your password the first time you see a reminder. Then you won't have to worry about your password expiring!
Change your password towards the end of term. That way it won't expire while you are on holidays. Just be sure to memorise the password!
What happens if I don’t change my password before it expires?
If you don’t change your password before it expires, you will be forced to change it when you next use a college-owned computer. You won't be able to log in until you make the change. You will not be able to connect to the college network using BYOD devices until you have changed your password. You will also be unable to use systems like Moodle.
Where do I need to re-enter my new password?
If you log into college computers after changing your password, you should not need to re-enter it when you next access Moodle. However, if you access Moodle from home or on your BYOD device, you will need to re-enter the password.
Web browsers can save your passwords so you don't have to re-type them every time you log into website. If your web browser does this, be sure you don't accept the saved password next time you log into Moodle. Manually type in the new password and have your browser 'update' the saved password. If you use multiple devices and/or multiple web browsers, you might need to do this for each.
What if I am not at school to change my password?
You can easily change your password when you are not at school. Read the article Change your network password to learn how to do this.
What if I am using a BYOD device?
When your password expires you will be unable to connect to the school network.
- If you are able to access the Internet on your device, go to https://sts.flinders.vic.edu.au/adfs/portal/updatepassword and change your password.
- If you are not able to access the Internet on your device you can go to this site on someone else’s device to change your password.
You might need to update the network settings on your device. Unless your device allows you to change the network password, have the device ‘forget’ the network and reconnect using your new password. Refer to byod.flinders.vic.edu.au for additional network information.
Additional resources
Choosing a good password
Read the article Setting a strong password for some good advice on choosing a strong, secure password.