RE: Important information to know as you launch Blackbaud ID

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Janet Wittenberg
Janet Wittenberg ✭
Ninth Anniversary Facilitator 2 Photogenic
in Blackbaud ID

FALL 2020 UPDATE:

Has there been any good news in 2020?  Here is some!

The problems with cookies that plagued us last year were resolved in March 2020.

Assuming users have recommended browser settings that either block 3rd party cookies or allow them, they should have no problem logging in with Blackbaud ID.


The problems documented in this post should no longer be an issue.


With the start of the school year upon us, we want to make you aware of an issue some Blackbaud ID users may experience which prevents them from logging in as expected. We detail troubleshooting steps below so that you can proactively inform and assist your school community.  

 

When a user experiences the issue, they will keep on landing on the school login page after entering their password. 

 

Here are the various scenarios you’ll want to be aware of as you triage this potential issue:  

  

  1. Users of the latest versions of iOS and Safari will need to turn ‘off’ the setting called ‘Cross-site Tracking’ that is turned ‘on’ by default.  Unfortunately, this setting interrupts the sign-in flow between myschoolapp.com and Blackbaud.com and blocks the cookie necessary for the redirects to authenticate successfully.  If users turn off that browser setting, they are able to login.  This impacts iPads and iPhones as well as mac laptops/desktops.   
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  1. Firefox and Chrome have a similar setting that is not turned on by default, but may have been set by the user.  

 

Review the KB article for the steps to change browser settings in a variety of browsers. 

Once you have changed the browser setting, you should also clear browser cookies and restart the browser to get a fresh connection. 

 

We have not found a solution that can work in all scenarios of browser settings.  Although we are working on a long-term solution, it will not be in place until school is already back in session.   

 

  1. An additional scenario for SSOs configured to use Azure AD or ADFS:  On Core > Profile > Access tab: Make sure the Blackbaud ID Username is what you are expecting.  This email address must match the user’s default SMTP address in Active Directory which is used to auto-provision their Blackbaud ID.  You can review all email addresses in the list on Core > Security > Blackbaud ID Authentication > Awaiting Response. 

  

Some schools have created their own internal documentation to share among their community proactively.  Preparing this information for users at your school ahead of time will help address questions when you have a high volume of users signing in with Blackbaud ID for the first time. 

 

If you have questions you can contact Support or post here in this forum. 

Comments

  • Jim Robb
    Jim Robb ✭
    Tenth Anniversary Facilitator 1 Photogenic
    Janet,


    We find the majority of users have no trouble making the transition to BBID and we appreciate all your detailed instructions. This "Cross-site tracking" setting has been of particular use.

    If I understand correctly the steps should be: 
    • In Settings > Safari, check to ensure cross-site tracking is disabled
    • In Safari > History, clear all history which should remove outdated cookies.
    • Restart Safari browser. 
    • Attempt to sign-in again.
    Thanks again for all your help! 


    Jim

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