AlmaLinux OS 9 must enforce a delay of at least four seconds between logon prompts following a failed logon attempt.
Overview
| Finding ID | Version | Rule ID | IA Controls | Severity |
| V-269217 | ALMA-09-015640 | SV-269217r1050099_rule | CCI-000366 | medium |
| Description | ||||
| Increasing the time between a failed authentication attempt and prompting to re-enter credentials helps to slow a single-threaded brute force attack. Satisfies: SRG-OS-000480-GPOS-00227, SRG-OS-000480-GPOS-00226 | ||||
| STIG | Date | |||
| CloudLinux AlmaLinux OS 9 Security Technical Implementation Guide | 2025-05-22 | |||
Details
Check Text (C-269217r1050099_chk)
Verify AlmaLinux OS 9 enforces a delay of at least four seconds between console logon prompts following a failed logon attempt with the following command:
$ grep -i fail_delay /etc/login.defs
FAIL_DELAY 4
If the value of "FAIL_DELAY" is not set to "4" or greater, or the line is commented out, this is a finding.
Fix Text (F-73149r1049329_fix)
Configure the AlmaLinux OS 9 to enforce a delay of at least four seconds between logon prompts following a failed console logon attempt.
Modify the "/etc/login.defs" file to set the "FAIL_DELAY" parameter to 4 or greater:
FAIL_DELAY 4