The macOS system must remove password hints from user accounts.
Overview
| Finding ID | Version | Rule ID | IA Controls | Severity |
| V-277149 | APPL-26-003014 | SV-277149r1148899_rule | CCI-000206 | medium |
| Description | ||||
| User accounts must not contain password hints. Password hints leak information about passwords in use and can lead to loss of confidentiality. | ||||
| STIG | Date | |||
| Apple macOS 26 (Tahoe) Security Technical Implementation Guide | 2026-02-11 | |||
Details
Check Text (C-277149r1148899_chk)
Verify the macOS system is configured to remove password hints from user accounts with the following command:
HINT=$(/usr/bin/dscl . -list /Users hint | /usr/bin/awk '{ print $2 }')
if [ -z "$HINT" ]; then
echo "PASS"
else
echo "FAIL"
fi
If the result is not "PASS", this is a finding.
Fix Text (F-81209r1148898_fix)
Configure the macOS system to remove password hints from user accounts with the following command:
for u in $(/usr/bin/dscl . -list /Users UniqueID | /usr/bin/awk '$2 > 500 {print $1}'); do
/usr/bin/dscl . -delete /Users/$u hint
done