Password Security

Users, User Status & User Permissions

The USERS screen in the Dashboard is where you can change user login details and other credentials.

For example, username, password and email address.

Administrators responsible for websites with multiple contributors (maybe a business or organisation), can easily manage each User's CREDENTIALS, STATUS and PERMISSIONS via the Users screen.

The Users Screen

The Users screen enables you to:

create New Users,
edit the details of existing Users (example: change username or password),
assign Users to User Groups,
create Access Levels to better be able to control what different Users and User Groups can see when they visit your website.

In addition, you can turn ON or OFF User Registration.

Select Users in the Site Panel of the Home Dashboard to open the Users screen.

How to change User credentials

Dashboard

Super Users can change the credentials and permissions of any User via the Users screen of the Dashboard.

1) Open the Users Screen

Select Users in the Site Panel of the Home Dashboard to open the Users screen.

2) Select a User

Click on a User's name to view and edit their credentials.

3) Enter new details

When done select SAVE & CLOSE.

Password

New password has to be entered in both fields.

Use long complex passwords for Users with Special Permissions.

Complex passwords are 16+ digits long, alpha-numeric, lower and upper case.

Front End

All Users (Registered Users - Super Users) can change their credentials after signing into the Front End.

1) Sign In

To sign in, users (Registered Users - Super Users) should enter their username and password to sign into the Front End of the website.

And click the Sign In button.

Note: Joomla! Login Module is called 'Manage your account' in a WYNCHCO Website Design.

2) Select 'Manage Your Profile' link

After signing in, a User Menu called 'Interact' is displayed below the Login Module (Manage your account) in a WYNCHCO Website Design.

It contains a Menu Link called 'Manage Your Profile'.

Users should click this link to review and change their credentials (password etc).

3) Edit User Credentials

The Manage Your Profile screen will be displayed.

Users may edit their credentials in this screen.

When done, select SAVE to close the screen.

Password

New password has to be entered in both fields.

Use long complex passwords for Users with Special Permissions.

Complex passwords are 16+ digits long, alpha-numeric, lower and upper case.

Harden your website's security

Joomla! 3.9 and earlier

Check User Settings include:

Send Password = NO.

If the setting is YES then change it to NO.

Reason:

When Send Password = YES, your website will send a password in plain text to users when new user accounts are created.

IMPORTANT

In our experience even when Send Password = NO, your website will still send a password in plain text to users when new user accounts are created.

For this reason, change the password of a new User with Special Permissions after you have saved the new User Account's settings, using a more complex format (16 + alpha-numeric digits + symbols).

Joomla! 4.0

No change is necessary.

The Send Password setting shown in the image below is DEFAULT in Joomla! 4.0.

IMPORTANT

In our experience even when Send Password = NO, your website will still send a password in plain text to users when new user accounts are created.

For this reason, change the password of a new User with Special Permissions after you have saved the new User Account's settings, using a more complex format (16 + alpha-numeric digits + symbols).