As a part of Library and Technology Services' continuous effort to improve the security and convenience of Lehigh's information systems, we are phasing out the use of security questions in the password recovery process for Lehigh computing accounts.

If you forget your account password or otherwise can’t access your account, the forgotten password reset system will now send a password reset email to the personal email address on file for your account. You can then set a new password for your account by following the instructions in the message.

What you need to do

  • Log in to the Computing Account Information webpage. Your account’s recovery address will be labeled “External Email” near the top of the page. If no personal email address is listed for you or the address is outdated, update it by logging into the Change Account Credentials webpage with the “Update recovery email” option.
  • If you don’t have a personal email linked, when you next change your password, you’ll be prompted to add and verify one.
  • When updating your recovery email address, please avoid using an address you could lose access to in the future, such as an address from your school, another university, or workplace. Personal email addresses from providers such as Gmail or Outlook.com are the most likely to be accessible if you need to reset your password.
  • If your Lehigh email is your only email address, and you do not have a personal email address to link to your account, we strongly recommend signing up for a free personal email account from a reputable provider such as Gmail.
  • If you have forgotten your password and do not have a personal email address linked to your Lehigh account, your security questions can be used once to reset your password and link a recovery email. Once a recovery email has been linked, your security questions will no longer be available.

How your recovery email address will be used

The recovery email address you link to your account will only be used for the following purposes:

  • Allowing you to establish your account credentials or recover access to your account should you lose it.
  • Alerting you to important events related to your account, such as your account password being changed.
  • Communicating with you if your Lehigh account is administratively locked.

We fully understand and deeply respect concerns about privacy and unwanted communications. We will not share the personal email address linked to your account with third parties.

Please note that when you link a new recovery email address to your account, it will not update your personal email address in Banner. If you'd like to change the personal email address used for communication by other offices at Lehigh, you can do so by logging in to Self-Service Banner and adjusting your personal information.

For more information about the change and answers to frequently asked questions, please visit LTS’ Account Recovery with Personal Email FAQ. If you require assistance with linking a personal email address to your Lehigh account or signing up for a personal email account to link to your Lehigh account, please contact the LTS Help Desk at 610-758-4357 or helpdesk@lehigh.edu.

Sincerely,

Library and Technology Services, Information Security Office