OL 8 must not allow blank or null passwords in the system-auth file.
Severity | Group ID | Group Title | Version | Rule ID | Date | STIG Version |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| high | V-248715 | SRG-OS-000480-GPOS-00227 | OL08-00-020331 | SV-248715r991589_rule | 2025-02-20 | 2 |
| Description |
|---|
| If an account has an empty password, anyone could log on and run commands with the privileges of that account. Accounts with empty passwords should never be used in operational environments. |
| ℹ️ Check |
|---|
| To verify that null passwords cannot be used, run the following command: $ sudo grep -i nullok /etc/pam.d/system-auth If output is produced, this is a finding. |
| ✔️ Fix |
|---|
| Remove any instances of the "nullok" option in the "/etc/pam.d/system-auth" file to prevent logons with empty passwords. Note: Manual changes to the listed file may be overwritten by the "authselect" program. |