AlmaLinux OS 9 must require the maximum number of repeating characters of the same character class be limited to four when passwords are changed.
Overview
| Finding ID | Version | Rule ID | IA Controls | Severity |
| V-269396 | ALMA-09-036980 | SV-269396r1050279_rule | CCI-004066 | 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. Password complexity is one factor of several that determines how long it takes to crack a password. The more complex the password, the greater the number of possible combinations that need to be tested before the password is compromised. | ||||
| STIG | Date | |||
| CloudLinux AlmaLinux OS 9 Security Technical Implementation Guide | 2025-05-22 | |||
Details
Check Text (C-269396r1050279_chk)
Verify the value of the "maxclassrepeat" option in "/etc/security/pwquality.conf" with the following command:
$ grep -ir maxclassrepeat /etc/security/pwquality.conf*
/etc/security/pwquality.conf:# maxclassrepeat = 0
/etc/security/pwquality.conf.d/stig.conf:maxclassrepeat = 4
If the value of "maxclassrepeat" is set to "0", more than "4", or is commented out, this is a finding.
Fix Text (F-73328r1049626_fix)
Configure AlmaLinux OS 9 to require the change of the number of repeating characters of the same character class when passwords are changed by setting the "maxclassrepeat" option.
Add the following line to "/etc/security/pwquality.conf" conf (or modify the line to have the required value):
maxclassrepeat = 4