Amazon Linux 2023 must automatically lock an account until the locked account is released by an administrator when three unsuccessful logon attempts in 15 minutes occur.
Overview
| Finding ID | Version | Rule ID | IA Controls | Severity |
| V-274156 | AZLX-23-002465 | SV-274156r1184029_rule | CCI-002238 | medium |
| Description | ||||
| By limiting the number of failed logon attempts, the risk of unauthorized system access via user password guessing, otherwise known as brute-forcing, is reduced. Limits are imposed by locking the account. | ||||
| STIG | Date | |||
| Amazon Linux 2023 Security Technical Implementation Guide | 2026-02-27 | |||
Details
Check Text (C-274156r1184029_chk)
Verify Amazon Linux 2023 locks an account after three unsuccessful logon attempts within a 15-minute period with the following command:
$ grep fail_interval /etc/security/faillock.conf
fail_interval = 900
If the "fail_interval" option is not set to "900" or less (but not "0"), the line is commented out, or the line is missing, this is a finding.
Fix Text (F-78152r1120455_fix)
Configure Amazon Linux 2023 to automatically lock an account after three unsuccessful logon attempts in 15-minutes.
First, ensure that the system is configured with authselect, i.e., using sssd profiles:
$ sudo authselect select sssd [--force]
Then, enable the faillock feature:
$ sudo authselect enable-feature with-faillock
Then edit the "/etc/security/faillock.conf" file as follows:
fail_interval = 900