The Photon operating system must use the "pam_cracklib" module.
Overview
| Finding ID | Version | Rule ID | IA Controls | Severity |
| V-256541 | PHTN-30-000071 | SV-256541r991587_rule | CCI-000366 | medium |
| Description | ||||
| If the operating system allows the user to select passwords based on dictionary words, this increases the chances of password compromise by increasing the opportunity for successful guesses and brute-force attacks. | ||||
| STIG | Date | |||
| VMware vSphere 7.0 vCenter Appliance Photon OS Security Technical Implementation Guide | 2024-12-16 | |||
Details
Check Text (C-256541r991587_chk)
At the command line, run the following command:
# grep pam_cracklib /etc/pam.d/system-password
If the output does not return at least "password requisite pam_cracklib.so", this is a finding.
Fix Text (F-60159r887296_fix)
Navigate to and open:
/etc/pam.d/system-password
Add the following, replacing any existing "pam_cracklib.so" line:
password requisite pam_cracklib.so dcredit=-1 ucredit=-1 lcredit=-1 ocredit=-1 minlen=8 minclass=4 difok=4 retry=3 maxsequence=0 enforce_for_root
Note: On vCenter appliances, the equivalent file must be edited under "/etc/applmgmt/appliance", if one exists, for the changes to persist after a reboot.