The macOS system must limit consecutive failed login attempts to three.
Overview
| Finding ID | Version | Rule ID | IA Controls | Severity |
| V-277036 | APPL-26-000022 | SV-277036r1149407_rule | CCI-000044 | medium |
| Description | ||||
| The macOS must be configured to limit the number of failed login attempts to a maximum of three. When the maximum number of failed attempts is reached, the account must be locked for a period of time. This rule protects against malicious users attempting to gain access to the system via brute-force hacking methods. Satisfies: SRG-OS-000021-GPOS-00005, SRG-OS-000329-GPOS-00128 | ||||
| STIG | Date | |||
| Apple macOS 26 (Tahoe) Security Technical Implementation Guide | 2026-02-11 | |||
Details
Check Text (C-277036r1149407_chk)
Verify the macOS system is configured to limit consecutive failed login attempts to three with the following command:
/usr/bin/pwpolicy -getaccountpolicies 2> /dev/null | /usr/bin/tail +2 | /usr/bin/xmllint --xpath '//dict/key[text()="policyAttributeMaximumFailedAuthentications"]/following-sibling::integer[1]/text()' - | /usr/bin/awk '{ if ($1 <= 3) {print "pass"} else {print "fail"}}' | /usr/bin/uniq
If the result is not "pass", this is a finding.
Fix Text (F-81096r1148559_fix)
Configure the macOS system to limit consecutive failed login attempts to three by installing the "com.apple.mobiledevice.passwordpolicy" configuration profile.