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UBTU-24-300016 Ubuntu 24.04 LTS must be configured so that when passwords are changed or new passwords are established, pwquality must be used.

DISA STIG library V1R7
All changes in this version
first version loaded CAT II

Maps to CM-6 via CCI-000366

Title

Ubuntu 24.04 LTS must be configured so that when passwords are changed or new passwords are established, pwquality must be used.

Control

Verify that Ubuntu 24.04 LTS uses "pwquality" to enforce the password complexity rules. Verify the pwquality module is being enforced by Ubuntu 24.04 LTS with the following command: $ grep -i enforcing /etc/security/pwquality.conf enforcing = 1 If the value of "enforcing" is not "1", or the line is commented out, this is a finding. Check for the use of "pwquality" with the following command: $ cat /etc/pam.d/common-password | grep requisite | grep pam_pwquality password requisite pam_pwquality.so retry=3 If the value of "retry" is set to "0" or is greater than "3", or if a line is not returned, this is a finding.

Discussion

Use of a complex password helps to increase the time and resources required to compromise the password. Password complexity, or strength, is a measure of the effectiveness of a password in resisting attempts at guessing and brute-force attacks. "pwquality" enforces complex password construction configuration and has the ability to limit brute-force attacks on the system.

Related controls

CCI-000366

Fix

Configure Ubuntu 24.04 LTS to use "pwquality" to enforce password complexity rules. Add the following line to "/etc/security/pwquality.conf" (or modify the line to have the required value): enforcing = 1 Add the following line to "/etc/pam.d/common-password" (or modify the line to have the required value): password requisite pam_pwquality.so retry=3 Note: Ensure the value of "retry" is between "1" and "3".