If multifactor authentication is not available and passwords must be used, the Palo Alto Networks security platform must enforce password complexity by requiring that at least one special character be used.

Severity	Group ID	Group Title	Version	Rule ID	Date	STIG Version
medium	V-228653	SRG-APP-000169-NDM-000257	PANW-NM-000058	SV-228653r1018778_rule	2025-03-12	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 needs to be tested before the password is compromised.

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 needs to be tested before the password is compromised.

ℹ️ Check
Go to Device >> Setup >> Management. View the "Minimum Password Complexity" window. If the "Minimum Special Letters" field is not "1", this is a finding.

✔️ Fix
Go to Device >> Setup >> Management. In the "Minimum Password Complexity" window, select the "Edit" icon (the gear symbol in the upper-right corner of the pane). In the "Minimum Special Letters" field, enter "1". Check the "Enabled box", then select "OK". Commit changes by selecting "Commit" in the upper-right corner of the screen. Select "OK" when the confirmation dialog appears.