eRaider Account Lock-out Policy
No One at Texas Tech University or from Anywhere Else Should Ask For Your Password
Policy Overview
If a domain controller registers six failed logon attempts within 14 minutes, a
security mechanism will lock the account. The account will remain locked for 15
minutes unless more failed logon attempts are made. This is to prevent someone
from guessing passwords and gaining access to accounts.
Accounts cannot be manually released from lock-out. TTU policy requires that the
account remain locked until the system automatically releases the lock-out. This
will happen after 15 minutes.
Systems Affected by Lock-Out Policy
- TechMail (All forms of access, including ActiveSync from mobile devices, POP, IMAP, SMTP, Exchange, and OWA)
- TechIM (Communicator, Live Meeting, and CWA)
- TTUnet Wireless Network
- TTUnet VPN
- Domain-authenticated Computers (Library, Faculty & Staff Computers, etc.)
- Web Site Administration (WebDAV, etc.)
- File and Print Shares (RaiderDrive and TechShare are examples)
- eRaider Software Downloads
Using any of these services can result in your account becoming locked for a period of 15 minutes due to the causes below.
Most Common
Cause #1 - The eRaider password was manually entered 6 times incorrectly within a 14-minute time span.
This could be caused by simple errors such as the Caps Lock key being on or errors in capitalization. If you are unsure of your password, browse to https://eraider.ttu.edu and click "Forgot Password" in order to reset your password.
Cause #2 - A previous eRaider password for your account is stored on one of your devices or in one of your applications.
Check all your computers and mobile devices (cell phones) where your eRaider password may be stored. See "Avoiding Account Lock-outs" for a list of "Post Password Change Tasks" to get ideas for locations to check.
Other Causes
Cause #3 - The use of an eRaider username as the name of a local profile on a non-domain-authenticated computer:
- Local profiles on non-domain-authenticated computers that use the eRaider username should be avoided if at all possible.
- If the eRaider password does not match the local password, this can lead to repeated account lockouts.
- It is suggested that the computer should either be put on the TTU domain or the local profile username should be changed to something that does not coincide with an eRaider account name.
Cause #4 - Incorrectly configured security settings for Exchange users in Outlook.
- "Always prompt for logon credentials" should be checked unless either of
the following is true:
- Currently signed into a local, non-domain account that doesn't match the username of any eRaider users
- Currently signed into a domain-authenticated computer with your eRaider username and password.
- Users signing into a local account that matches the name of any eRaider account should check "Always prompt for logon credentials" under their security settings in Outlook. A single bad password has the potential to lock an account since Outlook may send the credentials to the server multiple times.