TOSS must not allow accounts configured with blank or null passwords.
Overview
| Finding ID | Version | Rule ID | IA Controls | Severity |
| V-252966 | TOSS-04-020270 | SV-252966r991589_rule | CCI-000366 | high |
| Description | ||||
| If an account has an empty password, anyone could log on and run commands with the privileges of that account. Accounts with empty passwords should never be used in operational environments. | ||||
| STIG | Date | |||
| Tri-Lab Operating System Stack (TOSS) 4 Security Technical Implementation Guide | 2025-05-08 | |||
Details
Check Text (C-252966r991589_chk)
To verify that null passwords cannot be used, run the following command:
$ sudo grep -i permitemptypasswords /etc/ssh/sshd_config
PermitEmptyPasswords no
If "PermitEmptyPasswords" is set to "yes", this is a finding.
Fix Text (F-56369r824221_fix)
Edit the following line in "etc/ssh/sshd_config" to prevent logons with empty passwords.
PermitEmptyPasswords no
The SSH daemon must be restarted for the changes to take effect. To restart the SSH daemon, run the following command:
$ sudo systemctl restart sshd.service