If passwords are used for authentication, the EDB Postgres Advanced Server must transmit only encrypted representations of passwords.

Overview

Finding ID	Version	Rule ID	IA Controls	Severity
V-68949	PPS9-00-004400	SV-83553r1_rule		Medium

Description
The DoD standard for authentication is DoD-approved PKI certificates. Authentication based on User ID and Password may be used only when it is not possible to employ a PKI certificate, and requires AO approval. In such cases, passwords need to be protected at all times, and encryption is the standard method for protecting passwords during transmission. DBMS passwords sent in clear text format across the network are vulnerable to discovery by unauthorized users. Disclosure of passwords may easily lead to unauthorized access to the database.

Description

The DoD standard for authentication is DoD-approved PKI certificates. Authentication based on User ID and Password may be used only when it is not possible to employ a PKI certificate, and requires AO approval. In such cases, passwords need to be protected at all times, and encryption is the standard method for protecting passwords during transmission. DBMS passwords sent in clear text format across the network are vulnerable to discovery by unauthorized users. Disclosure of passwords may easily lead to unauthorized access to the database.

STIG	Date
EDB Postgres Advanced Server Security Technical Implementation Guide	2020-03-06

Details

Check Text ( C-69421r1_chk )
Open "/pg_hba.conf" in a viewer or editor. (The default path for the postgresql data directory is /var/lib/ppas/9.5/data, but this will vary according to local circumstances.) If any rows have "password" specified for the "METHOD" column, this is a finding.

Fix Text (F-75133r1_fix)
Open "/pg_hba.conf" in an editor. (The default path for the postgresql data directory is /var/lib/ppas/9.5/data, but this will vary according to local circumstances.) For any rows that have "password" specified for the "METHOD" column, change the value to "md5".