Who can do this?
Every signed-in person sets up the key for their own account. Anyone who knows the key and the recovery password can use the recovery, even without signing in.
Recovery key and account recovery
With a recovery key and a recovery password you get your account back, even without your password and two-factor device.
What is it for?
If you lose your password and your two-factor device at the same time, you can no longer get into your account. The recovery key is your emergency exit for exactly this case. You set it up while you still have access.
The emergency exit has two parts: the key, which Illumentis shows you once, and a recovery password that you choose yourself. Only both together open the recovery. Keep them apart, just as you would not write your front-door key and your PIN on the same slip of paper.
If everything is lost, self-service no longer helps. What remains is a request to the administration. Setting up the key is voluntary, but without it you cannot get your account back yourself in an emergency.
How it works
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In the account settings, open the “Account & Security” section and choose “Generate recovery key”.
What you see afterwards: Illumentis asks you to confirm your password or a current code.
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Set a “New recovery password” with at least 12 characters.
What you see afterwards: The dialog “Your new recovery key” shows the key exactly once.
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Copy the key with “Copy to clipboard”, store it apart from the recovery password, and choose “I’ve saved the key”.
What you see afterwards: The status line shows “Recovery key set up”.
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In an emergency, choose “Lost both your password and two-factor device?” on the sign-in page.
What you see afterwards: The recovery page asks for the key, the recovery password and new credentials.
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Enter everything and choose “Recover account”.
What you see afterwards: The page shows a new recovery key exactly once, after which you choose “Go to login”.
Your data
Illumentis stores only fingerprints (hashes) of the key and the recovery password, not the values themselves. For that reason Illumentis cannot show you the key again. After a recovery, Illumentis sends a security notice to the new and the old address. Several copies of the key are harmless as long as the recovery password stays secret.
Limits
During recovery, Illumentis ends all sign-ins and turns two-factor off; you set it up again afterwards. The new email address must differ from the old one. 5 attempts per hour are possible per address. “Regenerate” invalidates the previous key immediately.
Frequently asked questions
I no longer have a recovery key. What now?
On the recovery page, choose “Recovery key gone too? Contact an admin”, enter your email address and briefly describe what happened. The page answers everyone the same way: “If an account exists for this email, your request has been recorded. An admin will get in touch with you.” 5 requests per hour are possible per address.
Can I change only the recovery password?
Yes. “Change password only” replaces only the recovery password. Your key stays valid and you do not need to save it again.
Why can’t I keep my old email address?
During recovery, Illumentis requires a new address. If the old address is the reason for the emergency, whoever controls it would otherwise keep it.