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Password Expiry and Reset Procedure

User account password

Each user account on Lucia is created with an initial password which is immediately expired and must be changed as soon as possible, see below how to change or reset it. While SSH keypairs make its usage optional for SSH connections to the login nodes, your password combined with your login is currently the only way to connect to the support website and the Open OnDemand portal, so you'll need it sooner or later.

Note that multiple consecutive login failures will get your account temporarily locked for 10 minutes.

Important!

On September 15th 2025, we will start enforcing password change when it is expired. From then on, you won't be able to log on Lucia until you have changed your password, even when using an SSH keypair to connect to the system.

Don't confuse the password of your user account with your SSH key passphrase

You user account password is managed by Lucia's authentication service and is used in combination with your username, while your SSH key passphrase is only used to protect your private key locally on your computer.

Password policy

Suspicion of compromised password

If you have any suspicion that your password has been compromised, please change it immediately and inform us so we can take the appropriate measures.

Passwords are currently only valid for 365 days, they must be at least 12 characters long and be made up of at least 1 upper case letter, 1 lower case letter, 1 numeric character and 1 special character.

Here are also a few rules you should always follow with passwords:

  • Size matters, perhaps more than complexity (see passphrases), don't limit yourself to 12 characters.
  • Don't reuse old passwords.
  • Don't reuse the same password on multiple services, systems or sites.
  • Don't use sequences or repetitive characters.
  • Don't use dictionary words or names in passwords.

We recommend the use of a password manager to generate and store your passwords or passphrases, such as KeepPassXC for local storage of your password database, or applications with online storage such as Proton Pass (free tier available), 1Password (paid only), Bitwarden (free tier available), etc.

Checking your password expiration date

Starting 2 weeks prior to your password expiration, your SSH login will be greeted with a short message above the MOTD, reminding you about the impending expiration.

You can also manually check the expiration date at any time using the passwd_days_left command from any of the login nodes, e.g.: 

myusername@frontal01:~> passwd_days_left
Your passwd expires in 42 days (passwd expiry date : 2025-05-04)
The e-mail address linked to this account is : your.registered@e-mail.address

Password change procedure

In case you know your current password and simply want to change it, you can do it anytime by running the passwd command from one of the login nodes and following the on-screen instructions, e.g.: 

myusername@frontal01:~> passwd
Changing password for user myusername.
Current Password:
New password:
Retype new password:
passwd: all authentication tokens updated successfully.

Alternatively, you can visit our Self-service Password web interface (SSP) and select the Change password option, you will be required to provide your username, current password (old password), and confirm the new one by typing it twice.

Password reset procedure

In case you lost or forgot your password, you can reset it by visiting our Self-service Password web interface (SSP) and selecting the Reset password option (default).

This is a 3-step procedure:

  1. Request a password reset link. Enter your Lucia username and associated e-mail address, then click on the Send button. If the information provided is correct, you'll receive an e-mail with a link to https://ssp.lucia.cenaero.be to reset your password.
  2. Set a temporary password. By following the password reset link, you'll be asked to set a new password, this is a temporary password and you'll have to change it in the next step.
  3. Actually set your new password. Once your temporary password is set, you'll finally be able to set your new password:
    • either directly via the https://ssp.lucia.cenaero.be web interface by selecting the Change password option;
    • or by connecting to Lucia's login node via SSH, depending whether you're connecting using an SSH keypair or your password, you'll have to run the passwd command and follow the instructions, or you'll be directly asked to change your password upon logging in.

SSH Gateway password

The present section only applies for Cenaero users and customers.

The SSH gateway gateway.lucia.cenaero.be is totally independant of Lucia's authentication system, you can change your password on this system with the passwd command. In case you lost or forgot your gateway password and you need to reset it, please contact us directly via e-mail.