Encrypted passwords required

Fresno State Information Security Services will implement encrypted E-mail passwords. Everyone is required to make e-mail modifications before May 24, 2004, in order to provide this additional layer of security.  If you exclusively use webmail ( email.csufresno.edu ), no e-mail changes will be necessary. 

If you do not make the modifications before May 24, 2004, you will not be able to access your e-mail from our servers.

E-mail (POP and IMAP) programs such as Eudora, MS Outlook, MS Outlook Express, Netscape Messenger, Apple Mail, and Entourage send your username and password in clear text when downloading mail.  If you log in directly using Telnet or transfer files using FTP, then these protocols also send your username and password in clear text.

Since these protocols - E-mail (POP and IMAP), Telnet, and FTP - send data in clear text that can be read from the network, they present a significant danger of disclosing usernames and passwords when accessing systems.  For this reason, these programs are not considered secure.  Therefore, it is essential California State University , Fresno implement password encryption to provide enhanced security.

In order to provide this additional layer of security, Information Security Services is implementing encrypted E-mail, Secure Shell (SSH), and Secure Sockets Layer (SSL) logins to Fresno State central computing servers.  These protocols encrypt your username and password during transit so they are no longer in clear text.  Encrypted passwords make it more difficult for anyone to steal your passwords.

Additional changes are required for those using Telnet or FTP to connect to our servers.

Fresno State faculty and staff should first contact their local technical support person for any questions and assistance.

If you do not have a local technical support technician, you may contact the University Help Desk at 278-5000 for assistance.  You may also find information regarding the required changes at http://help.csufresno.edu . 

We recommend you make the changes now and not wait until the last minute.

For complete instructions, see http://security.csufresno.edu .