AlmaLinux OS 9 must automatically lock the root account until the root account is released by an administrator when three unsuccessful logon attempts occur during a 15-minute time period.
Severity | Group ID | Group Title | Version | Rule ID | Date | STIG Version |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| medium | V-269148 | SRG-OS-000021-GPOS-00005 | ALMA-09-007610 | SV-269148r1050030_rule | 2025-02-20 | 1 |
| Description |
|---|
| By limiting the number of failed logon attempts, the risk of unauthorized system access via user password guessing, otherwise known as brute-force attacks, is reduced. Limits are imposed by locking the account. |
| ℹ️ Check |
|---|
| Verify AlmaLinux OS 9 is configured to lock the root account after three unsuccessful logon attempts with the command: $ grep even_deny_root /etc/security/faillock.conf even_deny_root If the "even_deny_root" option is not set, is missing, or is commented out, this is a finding. |
| ✔️ Fix |
|---|
| Configure AlmaLinux OS 9 to lock the root account after a number of incorrect login attempts using pam_faillock. First, enable the feature using the following command: $ authselect enable-feature with-faillock Then, add or uncomment the following line in the "/etc/security/faillock.conf" file: even_deny_root |