The Photon operating system must not allow empty passwords.
Overview
| Finding ID | Version | Rule ID | IA Controls | Severity |
| V-266063 | PHTN-40-000247 | SV-266063r1003661_rule | CCI-000366 | medium |
| Description | ||||
| Accounts with empty or no passwords allow anyone to log on as that account without specifying a password or other forms of authentication. Allowing accounts with empty passwords puts the system at significant risk since only the username is required for access. | ||||
| STIG | Date | |||
| VMware vSphere 8.0 vCenter Appliance Photon OS 4.0 Security Technical Implementation Guide | 2024-07-11 | |||
Related Frameworks
4 paths across 3 frameworks
Related Frameworks
NIST 800-531 mapping
CM-6
1.00
- DISA · V2R1 · disa_xccdf · related
- DISA · 2025-01-23 · disa_cci_list · equivalent
NIST 800-1712 mappings
3.4.1
1.00
- DISA · V2R1 · 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 · V2R1 · 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 · V2R1 · disa_xccdf · related
Details
Check Text (C-266063r1003661_chk)
At the command line, run the following command to verify empty passwords are not allowed:
# grep nullok /etc/pam.d/system-password /etc/pam.d/system-auth
If any results are returned indicating "nullok" is configured on the "pam_unix.so" module, this is a finding.
Fix Text (F-69889r1003660_fix)
Navigate to and open:
/etc/pam.d/system-password or /etc/pam.d/system-auth
Remove the "nullok" argument on the "pam_unix.so" module line.
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.