OL 9 must enforce password complexity by requiring that at least one uppercase character be used.
Overview
| Finding ID | Version | Rule ID | IA Controls | Severity |
| V-271613 | OL09-00-001005 | SV-271613r1091551_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. Requiring a minimum number of uppercase characters makes password guessing attacks more difficult by ensuring a larger search space. | ||||
| STIG | Date | |||
| Oracle Linux 9 Security Technical Implementation Guide | 2025-05-08 | |||
Details
Check Text (C-271613r1091551_chk)
Verify that OL 9 enforces password complexity by requiring at least one uppercase character.
Check the value for "ucredit" with the following command:
$ grep ucredit /etc/security/pwquality.conf /etc/security/pwquality.conf.d/*.conf
ucredit = -1
If the value of "ucredit" is a positive number or is commented out, this is a finding.
Fix Text (F-75570r1091550_fix)
Configure OL 9 to enforce password complexity by requiring that at least one uppercase character is used by setting the "ucredit" option.
Add the following line to /etc/security/pwquality.conf (or modify the line to have the required value):
ucredit = -1