AlmaLinux OS 9 must automatically lock the root account until the root account is released by an administrator when three unsuccessful logon attempts occur during a 15-minute time period.
Overview
| Finding ID | Version | Rule ID | IA Controls | Severity |
| V-269148 | ALMA-09-007610 | SV-269148r1050030_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-269148r1050030_chk)
Verify AlmaLinux OS 9 is configured to lock the root account after three unsuccessful logon attempts with the command:
$ grep even_deny_root /etc/security/faillock.conf
even_deny_root
If the "even_deny_root" option is not set, is missing, or is commented out, this is a finding.
Fix Text (F-73080r1049204_fix)
Configure AlmaLinux OS 9 to lock the root account after a number of incorrect login attempts using pam_faillock.
First, enable the feature using the following command:
$ authselect enable-feature with-faillock
Then, add or uncomment the following line in the "/etc/security/faillock.conf" file:
even_deny_root