RHEL 10 must automatically lock an account when three unsuccessful login attempts occur.
Overview
| Finding ID | Version | Rule ID | IA Controls | Severity |
| V-281194 | RHEL-10-600410 | SV-281194r1166534_rule | CCI-002238 | medium |
| Description | ||||
| By limiting the number of failed login 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. Satisfies: SRG-OS-000329-GPOS-00128, SRG-OS-000021-GPOS-00005 | ||||
| STIG | Date | |||
| Red Hat Enterprise Linux 10 Security Technical Implementation Guide | 2026-03-11 | |||
Details
Check Text (C-281194r1166534_chk)
Verify RHEL 10 is configured to lock an account after three unsuccessful login attempts with the following command:
$ sudo grep 'deny =' /etc/security/faillock.conf
deny = 3
If the "deny" option is not set to "3" or less (but not "0"), or is missing or commented out, this is a finding.
Fix Text (F-85660r1166533_fix)
Configure RHEL 10 to lock an account when three unsuccessful login attempts occur.
Add/modify the "/etc/security/faillock.conf" file to match the following line:
deny = 3