AlmaLinux OS 9 must automatically lock an account when three unsuccessful logon attempts occur.
Overview
| Finding ID | Version | Rule ID | IA Controls | Severity |
| V-269147 | ALMA-09-007500 | SV-269147r1050029_rule | CCI-000044 | medium |
| Description | ||||
| By limiting the number of failed logon attempts, the risk of unauthorized system access via user password guessing, otherwise known as brute-force attacks, is reduced. Limits are imposed by locking the account. | ||||
| STIG | Date | |||
| CloudLinux AlmaLinux OS 9 Security Technical Implementation Guide | 2025-05-22 | |||
Details
Check Text (C-269147r1050029_chk)
Verify AlmaLinux OS 9 is configured to lock an account after three unsuccessful logon attempts with the command:
$ grep deny /etc/security/faillock.conf
deny = 3
If the "deny" option is not set to 3 or less (but not 0), is missing or commented out, this is a finding.
Fix Text (F-73079r1049201_fix)
Configure AlmaLinux OS 9 to lock an account when three unsuccessful logon attempts occur using pam_faillock.
First, enable the feature using the following command:
$ authselect enable-feature with-faillock
Then, add or update the following line in the "/etc/security/faillock.conf" file:
deny = 3