Generate Temporary Password Password

Temporary passwords should expire within 24 hours for standard accounts and within 1 hour for privileged or admin accounts. Many compliance frameworks (SOC 2, HIPAA) require temporary credentials to expire after a single use or within a defined time window. Always force a password change on first login when issuing temporary credentials.

Email is not a secure channel, but it is the most practical method for most use cases. Minimize risk by setting a short expiration time, requiring immediate password change on first login, and never including the username and password in the same email. For high-security environments, use a separate channel like SMS for the password while sending the login link via email.

Generic temporary passwords like 'Welcome123' or 'ChangeMe1' are included in every attacker's dictionary. If the user does not change it immediately, their account is trivially compromised. A random temporary password ensures that even a brief window before the user changes it does not leave the account vulnerable to automated attacks.

Generate a unique random temporary password for each account individually. Never use the same temporary password for multiple users. Distribute each password through a secure channel (encrypted email, sealed envelope, or secure onboarding portal). Enforce password change on first login and set the temporary credentials to expire within 48 hours.