Background

When you log in to Flinders for the first time, you will be required to create a password for your account. If your ever forget your password, you can use the same process to reset your password. Passwords are created and reset using the Password Self Service system.

Step-by-step guide

To create or reset your password, follow these steps:

Using a web browser, go to helpdesk.flinders.vic.edu.au/password/reset.
In the Create or Reset Password screen, enter your Login Name* and your Last Name.

*Login Name: Your Login name is your Flinders Community ID, a 5-digit number and can be found on invoices. You can retrieve your own Flinders Community ID if you have forgotten it.
Click/tap Search.
Enter your mobile phone number (without spaces) in the field provided, then click/tap Continue:

When entering your mobile phone number, enter it as a sequence of ten digits without spaces, for example:
0403123456
Don't include spaces, the international code or other symbols. These won't work:
+61403123456
0403 123 456
61 403 123 456
Click/tap Continue
Wait to receive a text message on your mobile phone. This can sometimes take up to 20 seconds to arrive. The message will contain a 4-digit token that you will need for the next step:
Enter the token into the 'Code' space and click/tap Check Code.
If the entered token matches what was sent to your phone, you will see the following screen. Click/tap Continue.
You should now be able to enter a new password. Enter the new password into the 'New password' space then again into the 'Confirm password' space. When you are confident you have entered a strong password twice, click/tap Change Password.
You should see a message indicating that the password is in the process of being reset:

And then a confirmation message:

Click/tap Continue to finish the process. You will be returned to the main Password Self Service screen.
Click/tap Logout.

Auto-generate Passwords

If you struggle to think of good passwords, use the Auto-generate function in Step 9 instead of entering a new password manually.

Click/tap Auto-generate a new password to see a list of suggestions:

If you don't like the auto-generated passwords offered, click More for additional suggestions. Click/tap on one of the passwords suggested.
When you select a suggested password, it is added to the 'New Password' field. Manually re-enter the password into the 'Confirm Password' field, then continue from Step 9 above.

Don't forget to memorise the new password! Because it is auto-generated, the password will not necessarily be something to which you can relate, and so you might need to make a greater effort to memorise it than a word with special meaning for you.
But don't panic if you don't successfully memorise the password: just reset it again.

Additional resources

Choosing your password

Passwords need to be at least six characters long. In addition to that, you cannot re-use any of the last ten passwords you have used.

The change password screen provides an indication of whether the password is acceptable, and whether the password is considered strong or weak. If your password is too short or has been used recently, you will see an error message like the one shown below.

If the 'New Password' does not match the 'Confirm Password', a similar message will be shown with a red cross next to the 'Confirm Password' space.

The strength indicator will show red for weak passwords. While you can ignore the weak password indicator, it is highly recommended that you create a password that is rated 'strong.'

A green tick indicates that you have correctly entered the same password into both fields.

The eye icon () next to each field is a clickable button; click this button to reveal the characters you have entered. Click it a second time to mask the password.

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