diff --git a/src/server/controllers/oktaIdxShared.ts b/src/server/controllers/oktaIdxShared.ts
index 3c5dfb185..5a2afefdd 100644
--- a/src/server/controllers/oktaIdxShared.ts
+++ b/src/server/controllers/oktaIdxShared.ts
@@ -1,6 +1,9 @@
 import { Request } from 'express';
 import { setEncryptedStateCookie } from '@/server/lib/encryptedStateCookie';
-import dangerouslySetPlaceholderPassword from '@/server/lib/okta/dangerouslySetPlaceholderPassword';
+import {
+	dangerouslySetPlaceholderPassword,
+	dangerouslySetPlaceholderPasswordUsingRecoveryToken,
+} from '@/server/lib/okta/dangerouslySetPlaceholderPassword';
 import {
 	challenge,
 	validateChallengeRemediation,
@@ -15,12 +18,7 @@ import { OktaError } from '@/server/models/okta/Error';
 import { UserResponse } from '@/server/models/okta/User';
 import { ResponseWithRequestState } from '@/server/models/Express';
 import { IdentifyResponse } from '@/server/lib/okta/idx/identify';
-import {
-	resetPassword,
-	validateRecoveryToken,
-} from '@/server/lib/okta/api/authentication';
 import { deactivateUser, activateUser } from '@/server/lib/okta/api/users';
-import { validateEmailAndPasswordSetSecurely } from '@/server/lib/okta/validateEmail';
 import { logger } from '@/server/lib/serverSideLogger';
 
 /**
@@ -218,34 +216,11 @@ export const forceUserIntoActiveState = async ({
 			});
 		}
 
-		// 3. use the recovery token to set a placeholder password for the user
-		// Validate the token
-		const { stateToken } = await validateRecoveryToken({
-			recoveryToken: tokenResponse.token,
-			ip: req.ip,
-		});
-		// Check if state token is defined
-		if (!stateToken) {
-			throw new OktaError({
-				message:
-					'Okta set placeholder password failed: state token is undefined',
-			});
-		}
-		// Set the placeholder password as a cryptographically secure UUID
-		const placeholderPassword = crypto.randomUUID();
-		await resetPassword(
-			{
-				stateToken,
-				newPassword: placeholderPassword,
-			},
-			req.ip,
-		);
-
-		// Unset the emailValidated and passwordSetSecurely flags
-		await validateEmailAndPasswordSetSecurely({
+		// set a placeholder password for the user
+		await dangerouslySetPlaceholderPasswordUsingRecoveryToken({
 			id: user.id,
 			ip: req.ip,
-			flagStatus: false,
+			recoveryToken: tokenResponse.token,
 		});
 	} catch (error) {
 		logger.error(
diff --git a/src/server/controllers/sendChangePasswordEmail.ts b/src/server/controllers/sendChangePasswordEmail.ts
index 66b54e5e1..565b10c96 100644
--- a/src/server/controllers/sendChangePasswordEmail.ts
+++ b/src/server/controllers/sendChangePasswordEmail.ts
@@ -30,7 +30,7 @@ import { sendCreatePasswordEmail } from '@/email/templates/CreatePassword/sendCr
 import { sendResetPasswordEmail } from '@/email/templates/ResetPassword/sendResetPasswordEmail';
 import { PasswordRoutePath, RoutePaths } from '@/shared/model/Routes';
 import { mergeRequestState } from '@/server/lib/requestState';
-import dangerouslySetPlaceholderPassword from '@/server/lib/okta/dangerouslySetPlaceholderPassword';
+import { dangerouslySetPlaceholderPassword } from '@/server/lib/okta/dangerouslySetPlaceholderPassword';
 import { encryptOktaRecoveryToken } from '@/server/lib/deeplink/oktaRecoveryToken';
 import { getConfiguration } from '@/server/lib/getConfiguration';
 import { startIdxFlow } from '@/server/lib/okta/idx/startIdxFlow';
diff --git a/src/server/lib/okta/dangerouslySetPlaceholderPassword.ts b/src/server/lib/okta/dangerouslySetPlaceholderPassword.ts
index 1312bedf1..de98139e2 100644
--- a/src/server/lib/okta/dangerouslySetPlaceholderPassword.ts
+++ b/src/server/lib/okta/dangerouslySetPlaceholderPassword.ts
@@ -26,14 +26,14 @@ interface PlaceholderPasswordParams {
  * @returns The placeholder password if returnPlaceholderPassword is true, otherwise void (undefined)
  */
 // Overload signatures
-async function dangerouslySetPlaceholderPassword(
+export async function dangerouslySetPlaceholderPassword(
 	params: PlaceholderPasswordParams & { returnPlaceholderPassword: true },
 ): Promise<string>;
-async function dangerouslySetPlaceholderPassword(
+export async function dangerouslySetPlaceholderPassword(
 	params: PlaceholderPasswordParams & { returnPlaceholderPassword?: false },
 ): Promise<void>;
 // Implementation
-async function dangerouslySetPlaceholderPassword({
+export async function dangerouslySetPlaceholderPassword({
 	id,
 	ip,
 	returnPlaceholderPassword = false,
@@ -41,34 +41,13 @@ async function dangerouslySetPlaceholderPassword({
 	try {
 		// Generate an recoveryToken OTT and put user into RECOVERY state
 		const recoveryToken = await dangerouslyResetPassword(id, ip);
-		// Validate the token
-		const { stateToken } = await validateRecoveryToken({
-			recoveryToken,
-			ip,
-		});
-		// Check if state token is defined
-		if (!stateToken) {
-			throw new OktaError({
-				message:
-					'dangerouslySetPlaceholderPassword failed: state token is undefined',
-			});
-		}
-		// Set the placeholder password as a cryptographically secure UUID
-		const placeholderPassword = crypto.randomUUID();
-		await resetPassword(
-			{
-				stateToken,
-				newPassword: placeholderPassword,
-			},
-			ip,
-		);
 
-		// Unset the emailValidated and passwordSetSecurely flags
-		await validateEmailAndPasswordSetSecurely({
-			id,
-			ip,
-			flagStatus: false,
-		});
+		const placeholderPassword =
+			dangerouslySetPlaceholderPasswordUsingRecoveryToken({
+				id,
+				ip,
+				recoveryToken,
+			});
 
 		if (returnPlaceholderPassword) {
 			return placeholderPassword;
@@ -82,4 +61,62 @@ async function dangerouslySetPlaceholderPassword({
 	}
 }
 
-export default dangerouslySetPlaceholderPassword;
+// Define the parameter object type
+interface PlaceholderPasswordParamsWithRecoveryToken {
+	id: string;
+	ip?: string;
+	recoveryToken: string;
+}
+
+/**
+ * @name dangerouslySetPlaceholderPasswordUsingRecoveryToken
+ * @description DANGEROUS: Make sure to read the description. This function is used to set a placeholder password for a user using a recovery token. Only use this if you know what you are doing...
+ *
+ * This function is used ONLY for users who do not have a password set at all
+ * (i.e. social users or users imported from IDAPI). It does the following:
+ * 1. Takes a recover token generated by an Okta API, e.g dangerouslyResetPassword()/activateUser()
+ * 2. Uses the OTT to set a cryptographically secure placeholder password for the user.
+ *
+ * After these operations, we return the placeholder password, should the caller need it. Be careful how this is used.
+ *
+ * @param id The Okta user ID
+ * @param ip The IP address of the user
+ * @param recoveryToken The recovery token
+ * @returns {Promise<string>} The placeholder password
+ */
+export async function dangerouslySetPlaceholderPasswordUsingRecoveryToken({
+	id,
+	ip,
+	recoveryToken,
+}: PlaceholderPasswordParamsWithRecoveryToken): Promise<string> {
+	// Validate the token
+	const { stateToken } = await validateRecoveryToken({
+		recoveryToken,
+		ip,
+	});
+	// Check if state token is defined
+	if (!stateToken) {
+		throw new OktaError({
+			message:
+				'dangerouslySetPlaceholderPassword failed: state token is undefined',
+		});
+	}
+	// Set the placeholder password as a cryptographically secure UUID
+	const placeholderPassword = crypto.randomUUID();
+	await resetPassword(
+		{
+			stateToken,
+			newPassword: placeholderPassword,
+		},
+		ip,
+	);
+
+	// Unset the emailValidated and passwordSetSecurely flags
+	await validateEmailAndPasswordSetSecurely({
+		id,
+		ip,
+		flagStatus: false,
+	});
+
+	return placeholderPassword;
+}
diff --git a/src/server/lib/okta/register.ts b/src/server/lib/okta/register.ts
index 6fd3d4bdd..c8f29ff0f 100644
--- a/src/server/lib/okta/register.ts
+++ b/src/server/lib/okta/register.ts
@@ -18,7 +18,7 @@ import { getConfiguration } from '@/server/lib/getConfiguration';
 import { sendEmailToUnvalidatedUser } from '@/server/lib/unvalidatedEmail';
 import { trackMetric } from '@/server/lib/trackMetric';
 import { logger } from '@/server/lib/serverSideLogger';
-import dangerouslySetPlaceholderPassword from './dangerouslySetPlaceholderPassword';
+import { dangerouslySetPlaceholderPassword } from './dangerouslySetPlaceholderPassword';
 import { sendCompleteRegistration } from '@/email/templates/CompleteRegistration/sendCompleteRegistration';
 import { encryptOktaRecoveryToken } from '@/server/lib/deeplink/oktaRecoveryToken';
 import { encryptRegistrationConsents } from '@/server/lib/registrationConsents';
diff --git a/src/server/routes/delete.ts b/src/server/routes/delete.ts
index 8a13bc6a4..c3d7e1034 100644
--- a/src/server/routes/delete.ts
+++ b/src/server/routes/delete.ts
@@ -23,7 +23,7 @@ import {
 } from '@/shared/lib/queryParams';
 import { GenericErrors } from '@/shared/model/Errors';
 import { UserAttributesResponse } from '@/shared/lib/members-data-api';
-import dangerouslySetPlaceholderPassword from '@/server/lib/okta/dangerouslySetPlaceholderPassword';
+import { dangerouslySetPlaceholderPassword } from '@/server/lib/okta/dangerouslySetPlaceholderPassword';
 import { getConfiguration } from '@/server/lib/getConfiguration';
 import { requestStateHasOAuthTokens } from '@/server/lib/middleware/requestState';