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Lock and Unlock User

This guide explains how to unlock user accounts in Privacera Self-Managed and PrivaceraCloud environments. User accounts are automatically locked after multiple failed login attempts as a security measure. This document describes the available methods to unlock them.

Introduction

Account locking is a security feature that helps prevent unauthorized access by temporarily disabling a user account after a configured number of failed login attempts. While an account is locked, the user cannot sign in to the Privacera Portal.

When Accounts Get Locked

An account is automatically locked when a user exceeds the maximum number of allowed failed login attempts.

  • Self-Managed: Default is 5 failed attempts (configurable)
  • PrivaceraCloud: Default is 5 failed attempts (not configurable)

Impact of Locked Accounts

When an account is locked:

  • The user cannot log in to the Privacera Portal
  • Failed login attempts are tracked and reset upon successful unlock
  • The account remains locked until it is unlocked automatically or by an administrator.

Unlock Methods

Administrative Privilege Required

To manually unlock a user account, you must be logged in as a user with the ROLE_SYS_ADMIN role.

Option 1: Automatic Unlock

Locked accounts automatically unlock after the configured lock duration expires.

How it works:

  • Account is locked after exceeding failed login attempts.
  • System starts lock duration timer.
  • Account automatically unlocks when timer expires (default: 15 minutes).
  • User can attempt login again with correct credentials.

Option 2: Administrator Unlock

System administrators can unlock accounts by updating the user's password:

  1. Navigate to Settings > User Management.
  2. Locate the locked user from the user list.
  3. Click the Edit button for the selected user.
  4. In the popup window, update the user's password.
  5. Click Save to apply the changes.

Automatic Unlock

When an administrator updates a user's password, the account is automatically unlocked.

Configuration

To know how to Configure the Account Lock Threshold and the Account Lock Duration, see User Account Lock Settings.

Administrative Privilege Required

To manually unlock a user account, you must be logged in as a user with the ROLE_ACCOUNT_ADMIN role.

Option 1: Email-Based Unlock

When a user account is locked, PrivaceraCloud automatically sends an email notification to the user’s registered email address with instructions to unlock the account.

To unlock your account using email:

  1. Check your inbox for an email from PrivaceraCloud indicating that your account is locked.
  2. Click Unlock My Account in the email.
  3. After confirmation, log in to the PrivaceraCloud portal.

Email Notifications

  • An email is sent when your account is locked
  • A confirmation email is sent after the account is successfully unlocked.

Option 2: Administrator Unlock via Portal

Account administrators can unlock user accounts through the User Management interface:

  1. Navigate to Settings > User Management.
  2. Search for the locked user using the search filters.
  3. Locate the target user within the search results list.
  4. Scroll to the right side of the user's entry to locate the Actions menu.
  5. Under Actions, click the Unlock icon (lock-open icon).
  6. Confirm unlocking by selecting YES on the Confirm Unlock pop-up that appears.

Option 3: Forgot Password Flow

Users can also unlock their accounts by resetting their password.

  1. On the PrivaceraCloud Portal login page, click Forgot Password.
  2. Enter your Account ID or Alias and Email.
  3. Click Reset Password.
  4. Check your email for the password reset link.
  5. Click the Reset Password link.
  6. On the Reset Password page, enter your new password.
  7. Click Reset Password.

If your account is locked, resetting your password will automatically unlock the account.

PrivaceraCloud Configuration Management

Account lock configuration in PrivaceraCloud is managed by Privacera. To request changes or updates, contact Privacera Support.