The system must use a FIPS 140-2 approved cryptographic hashing algorithm for generating account password hashes.

Overview

Finding ID	Version	Rule ID	IA Controls	Severity
V-22303	GEN000590	SV-38938r1_rule	DCNR-1 IAIA-1 IAIA-2	Medium

Description
Systems must employ cryptographic hashes for passwords using the SHA-2 family of algorithms or FIPS 140-2 approved successors. The use of unapproved algorithms may result in weak password hashes that are more vulnerable to compromise.

STIG	Date
AIX 6.1 SECURITY TECHNICAL IMPLEMENTATION GUIDE	2018-09-18

Details

Check Text ( C-40623r1_chk )
Determine if the system creates password hashes using a FIPS 140-2 approved cryptographic hashing algorithm by verifying the value of pwd_algorithm in /etc/security/login.cfg. # grep pwd_algorithm /etc/security/login.cfg If the system is not configured to generate password hashes using a FIPS 140-2 approved algorithm, such as SHA256 or a successor, this is a finding.

Fix Text (F-32002r1_fix)
Configure the system to use a FIPS 140-2 approved cryptographic hash algorithm for creating password hashes. # chsec -f /etc/security/login.cfg -s usw -a pwd_algorithm=ssha256