The Oracle Linux operating system must be configured so that when passwords are changed or new passwords are established, the new password must contain at least one special character.
Severity | Group ID | Group Title | Version | Rule ID | Date | STIG Version |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| medium | V-221672 | SRG-OS-000266-GPOS-00101 | OL07-00-010150 | SV-221672r1015169_rule | 2025-02-20 | 3 |
| Description |
|---|
| 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. Password complexity is one factor of several that determines how long it takes to crack a password. The more complex the password, the greater the number of possible combinations that need to be tested before the password is compromised. |
| ℹ️ Check |
|---|
| Verify the operating system enforces password complexity by requiring that at least one special character be used. Note: The value to require a number of special characters to be set is expressed as a negative number in "/etc/security/pwquality.conf". Check the value for "ocredit" in "/etc/security/pwquality.conf" with the following command: # grep ocredit /etc/security/pwquality.conf ocredit=-1 If the value of "ocredit" is not set to a negative value, this is a finding. |
| ✔️ Fix |
|---|
| Configure the operating system to enforce password complexity by requiring that at least one special character be used by setting the "ocredit" option. Add the following line to "/etc/security/pwquality.conf" (or modify the line to have the required value): ocredit = -1 |