Ubuntu 24.04 LTS must be configured so that when passwords are changed or new passwords are established, pwquality must be used.

Overview

Finding ID	Version	Rule ID	IA Controls	Severity
V-270705	UBTU-24-300016	SV-270705r1066604_rule	CCI-000366	medium
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. "pwquality" enforces complex password construction configuration and has the ability to limit brute-force attacks on the system.
STIG			Date
Canonical Ubuntu 24.04 LTS Security Technical Implementation Guide			2025-05-16

Details

Check Text (C-270705r1066604_chk)

Verify that Ubuntu 24.04 LTS uses "pwquality" to enforce the password complexity rules. Verify the pwquality module is being enforced by Ubuntu 24.04 LTS with the following command: $ grep -i enforcing /etc/security/pwquality.conf enforcing = 1 If the value of "enforcing" is not "1", or the line is commented out, this is a finding. Check for the use of "pwquality" with the following command: $ cat /etc/pam.d/common-password | grep requisite | grep pam_pwquality password requisite pam_pwquality.so retry=3 If the value of "retry" is set to "0" or is greater than "3", or if a line is not returned, this is a finding.

Fix Text (F-74639r1066603_fix)

Configure Ubuntu 24.04 LTS to use "pwquality" to enforce password complexity rules. Add the following line to "/etc/security/pwquality.conf" (or modify the line to have the required value): enforcing = 1 Add the following line to "/etc/pam.d/common-password" (or modify the line to have the required value): password requisite pam_pwquality.so retry=3 Note: Ensure the value of "retry" is between "1" and "3".