Ubuntu 22.04 LTS must enforce a minimum 15-character password length.
Severity | Group ID | Group Title | Version | Rule ID | Date | STIG Version |
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medium | V-260565 | SRG-OS-000078-GPOS-00046 | UBTU-22-611035 | SV-260565r1015016_rule | 2025-03-03 | 2 |
Description |
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The shorter the password, the lower the number of possible combinations that need to be tested before the password is compromised. Password complexity, or strength, is a measure of the effectiveness of a password in resisting attempts at guessing and brute-force attacks. Password length is one factor of several that helps to determine strength and how long it takes to crack a password. Use of more characters in a password helps to exponentially increase the time and/or resources required to compromise the password. |
ℹ️ Check |
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Verify the pwquality configuration file enforces a minimum 15-character password length by using the following command: $ grep -i minlen /etc/security/pwquality.conf minlen = 15 If "minlen" is not "15" or higher, is commented out, or is missing, this is a finding. |
✔️ Fix |
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Configure Ubuntu 22.04 LTS to enforce a minimum 15-character password length. Add or modify the following line in the "/etc/security/pwquality.conf" file: minlen = 15 |