Invalid Credentials - vCenter Server UI login fails with Active Directory service account

Products

• VMware vCenter Server

Issue/Introduction

• Unableto log into the vCenter Server UI using a specific Active Directory service account is observed. When attempting to authenticate, the following error is presented: Invalid Credentials
• Following error is observed in Vsphere UI
  
  
  

Environment

VMware vCenter Server 8.x
VMware vCenter Server 9.x

Cause

The external Active Directory service account password has expired. Verification of the service account properties within Active Directory confirms that the "Password never expires" attribute is unchecked, resulting in password expiration.

Following is the screenshot from the Active Directory

Resolution

To resolve this issue, the credential state must be corrected on the external identity provider:

1. Reset the affected service account password within Active Directory.

2. Attempt authentication to the vCenter Server UI again with the updated credentials.

3. To prevent recurrence, ensure the "Password never expires" attribute is enabled for the service account within Active Directory, if permitted by organizational security policies.