RHEL 9 must ensure the password complexity module is enabled in the system-auth file.
Overview
| Finding ID | Version | Rule ID | IA Controls | Severity |
| V-258098 | RHEL-09-611045 | SV-258098r1045195_rule | CCI-000366 | medium |
| Description | ||||
| Enabling PAM password complexity permits enforcement of strong passwords and consequently makes the system less prone to dictionary attacks. | ||||
| STIG | Date | |||
| Red Hat Enterprise Linux 9 Security Technical Implementation Guide | 2025-05-14 | |||
Related Frameworks
4 paths across 3 frameworks
Related Frameworks
NIST 800-531 mapping
CM-6
1.00
- DISA · 2 · disa_xccdf · related
- DISA · 2025-01-23 · disa_cci_list · equivalent
NIST 800-1712 mappings
3.4.1
1.00
- DISA · 2 · disa_xccdf · related
- DISA · 2025-01-23 · disa_cci_list · equivalent
- NIST · Rev 2 (Feb 2020, errata Jan 2021) · nist_800_171_app_d · equivalent
3.4.2
1.00
- DISA · 2 · disa_xccdf · related
- DISA · 2025-01-23 · disa_cci_list · equivalent
- NIST · Rev 2 (Feb 2020, errata Jan 2021) · nist_800_171_app_d · equivalent
CCI1 mapping
CCI-000366
1.00
- DISA · 2 · disa_xccdf · related
Details
Check Text (C-258098r1045195_chk)
Verify RHEL 9 uses "pwquality" to enforce the password complexity rules in the system-auth file with the following command:
$ grep pam_pwquality /etc/pam.d/system-auth
password required pam_pwquality.so
If the command does not return a line containing the value "pam_pwquality.so", or the line is commented out, this is a finding.
If the system administrator (SA) can demonstrate that the required configuration is contained in a PAM configuration file included or substacked from the system-auth file, this is not a finding.
Fix Text (F-61763r926280_fix)
Configure RHEL 9 to use "pwquality" to enforce password complexity rules.
Add the following line to the "/etc/pam.d/system-auth" file(or modify the line to have the required value):
password required pam_pwquality.so