Ubuntu OS must enforce a minimum 15-character password length.
Overview
| Finding ID | Version | Rule ID | IA Controls | Severity |
| V-275654 | RIIM-OS-611035 | SV-275654r1148012_rule | CCI-004066 | medium |
| Description | ||||
| The shorter the password, the lower the number of possible combinations that need to be tested before the password is compromised. Password complexity, or strength, is a measure of the effectiveness of a password in resisting attempts at guessing and brute-force attacks. Password length is one factor of several that helps to determine strength and how long it takes to crack a password. Use of more characters in a password helps to exponentially increase the time and/or resources required to compromise the password. | ||||
| STIG | Date | |||
| Riverbed NetIM OS Security Technical Implementation Guide | 2025-10-02 | |||
Details
Check Text (C-275654r1148012_chk)
Verify with the following command that the pwquality configuration file enforces a minimum 15-character password length:
$ grep -i minlen /etc/security/pwquality.conf
minlen = 15
If "minlen" is not "15" or higher, is commented out, or is missing, this is a finding.
Fix Text (F-79661r1148011_fix)
Configure Ubuntu OS to enforce a minimum 15-character password length.
Add or modify the following line in the "/etc/security/pwquality.conf" file:
minlen = 15