The Photon operating system must enforce a delay of at least four seconds between logon prompts following a failed logon attempt.
Overview
| Finding ID | Version | Rule ID | IA Controls | Severity |
| V-256543 | PHTN-30-000073 | SV-256543r991588_rule | CCI-000366 | medium |
| Description | ||||
| Limiting the number of logon attempts over a certain time interval reduces the chances that an unauthorized user may gain access to an account. | ||||
| STIG | Date | |||
| VMware vSphere 7.0 vCenter Appliance Photon OS Security Technical Implementation Guide | 2024-12-16 | |||
Details
Check Text (C-256543r991588_chk)
At the command line, run the following command:
# grep pam_faildelay /etc/pam.d/system-auth|grep --color=always "delay="
Expected result:
auth optional pam_faildelay.so delay=4000000
If the output does not match the expected result, this is a finding.
Fix Text (F-60161r887302_fix)
Navigate to and open:
/etc/pam.d/system-auth
Remove any existing "pam_faildelay" line and add the following line at the end of the file:
auth optional pam_faildelay.so delay=4000000
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.