The Ubuntu operating system must not have accounts configured with blank or null passwords.
Overview
| Finding ID | Version | Rule ID | IA Controls | Severity |
| V-251503 | UBTU-20-010462 | SV-251503r991589_rule | CCI-000366 | high |
| 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. | ||||
| STIG | Date | |||
| Canonical Ubuntu 20.04 LTS Security Technical Implementation Guide | 2025-05-16 | |||
Details
Check Text (C-251503r991589_chk)
Check the "/etc/shadow" file for blank passwords with the following command:
$ sudo awk -F: '!$2 {print $1}' /etc/shadow
If the command returns any results, this is a finding.
Fix Text (F-54892r808505_fix)
Configure all accounts on the system to have a password or lock the account with the following commands:
Perform a password reset:
$ sudo passwd [username]
Lock an account:
$ sudo passwd -l [username]