Employee onboarding is a busy time for IT teams. New starters need devices, accounts, access permissions, and passwords, all delivered within a tight timeframe.

That usually means sharing a temporary “first-day” password so employees can access systems for the first time. The issue is that these passwords don’t always stay temporary. They may be sent over email or SMS, reused across accounts, or never changed at all, creating unnecessary risk during the onboarding process.

For attackers, weak or poorly managed onboarding credentials can provide an easy route into corporate systems. To make the onboarding process more secure without slowing new employees down, it’s important to understand why typical password-sharing methods introduce risk.

When convenience overrides security

The most common approach to sharing initial credentials with new employees is to send them in plain text over email or SMS. It’s quick and convenient, especially during busy onboarding periods, but it also creates an obvious exposure point. If those messages are intercepted, forwarded, or accessed on an unsecured device, attackers can gain immediate access to corporate accounts and systems.

The alternative is sharing passwords verbally, either in person or over the phone. While this reduces the risk of digital interception, it creates operational challenges of its own. IT teams and new starters need to coordinate schedules, and the process often breaks down when managers or third parties are asked to relay credentials on IT’s behalf. The more people involved in handling a password, the greater the chance of it being mishandled or disclosed.

Neither method provides a particularly secure or scalable way to handle onboarding credentials. In many cases, organizations are balancing ease of access against security, and temporary passwords end up becoming a long-term weakness rather than a short-term onboarding step.

A more secure approach to onboarding passwords

Traditional onboarding methods create risk because organizations are forced to share temporary passwords in the first place. Addressing this issue are specialized solutions like Specops First Day Password, available as part of Specops uReset, which removes the need to distribute first-day passwords altogether.

Specops First Day Password

Instead of receiving a temporary credential over email, SMS, or phone, new employees set their own password through a secure enrollment process. Users receive an enrollment link via personal email, text message, or a “reset my password” option on their domain-joined device. After verifying their identity using a personal email address or mobile number, they can create a password that meets the organization’s policy requirements from the outset.

This approach reduces the risk associated with intercepted or mishandled onboarding credentials while making the process easier for both IT teams and new starters.

Specops uReset

The risk of temporary passwords becoming…


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Last Update: June 15, 2026