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 | |||
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.