Frequently Asked Questions
- How secure is Certero Passworks?
- What happens if someone guesses a user’s answers and successfully resets their password?
- How many questions can users choose from?
- What if a user repetitively submits wrong answers to their questions?
- What happens when a user blocks their account?
- Can I reset passwords though the web console?
- What operating systems are supported?
- Can the client software be used on Citrix and Terminal Servers?
- Can I change the default email alerts?
- Does Passworks integrate with 3rd party systems?
1. How secure is Certero Passworks?
All user answers are stored in the database using secure, one-way, MD5 encryption. What this means is that no-one, even system administrators, can find out the answers to a user's questions. In addition, all the communication between client PCs and the Passworks Server is encrypted, meaning data is undetectable even by packet sniffers.
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2. What happens if someone guesses a user’s answers and successfully resets their password?
Every action in Passworks™ is audited so when a password is reset, the computer name and IP address from which the attempt was made is logged in the database. The end user is also sent an email alerting them of the password change, asking them to contact the service desk immediately if they did not do it themselves. These messages are fully customisable within Passworks™ and can be tailored to your requirements.
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3. How many questions can users choose from?
Users must choose at least 3 questions when they register however you can configure more if you require. Passworks comes with 20 sample questions which you can change to fit your requirements.
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4. What if a user repetitively submits wrong answers to their questions?
Within the Passworks administrator console you can configure the number of questions a user can answer incorrectly. Once this threshold has been reached, their account is blocked and they will not be able use the service until an administrator has unblocked their account.
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5. What happens when a user blocks their account?
When a user blocks their account, an alert is sent to the user and/or administrators giving details of when and where the attempt was made. When their account is unblocked they will be asked to re-register with Passworks and complete a new set of questions the next time they login.
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6. Can I reset passwords through the web console?
Yes. Designated users can use the web console to reset a user's password however unlike the Active Directory Users and Computers management console, the action is logged and an alert is sent to the user and/or administrators. Passworks is configured with a Default Password option that can be used whenever the a user password is reset in this way, thus ensuring that common working practices are followed. Other options include forcing the user to change their password next time they logon and setting a password to never expire.
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7. What operating systems are supported?
The Passworks Client software can be deployed on both x86 and x64 versions of Microsoft Windows 2000, XP, 2003, Vista, 7 and 2008.
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8. Can the client software be used on Citrix and Terminal Servers?
Yes. The software works on both console and remote sessions.
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9. Can I change the default email alerts?
Yes. Alerting can be switched on or off for successful user registration, self-service password reset, blocking of user accounts and administrative password resets. Email templates are provided for both user and administrative alerts and can be changed to fit your organisation. A number of variables can be used within any of the alerts to provide extended information such as Computer Name, Username, Organisational Unit and IP Address
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10. Does Passworks integrate with 3rd party systems?
Certero Passworks has been integrated with 3rd party service desk products by using its customisable alerting functions. Alerts sent to a designated email address in a particular format allowed the client to automatically raise and close a ticket on behalf of the affected user.
If you would like more information about Software Metering then please contact us using the details at the top of this page or fill in our Online Enquiry Form.