The Mainframe Product must enforce password complexity by requiring that at least one special character be used.

Overview

Finding ID	Version	Rule ID	IA Controls	Severity
V-68381	SRG-APP-000169-MFP-000231	SV-82871r1_rule		Medium

Description
Use of a complex password helps to increase the time and resources required to compromise the password. Password complexity, or strength, is a measure of the effectiveness of a password in resisting attempts at guessing and brute-force attacks. Password complexity is one factor in determining how long it takes to crack a password. The more complex the password, the greater the number of possible combinations that need to be tested before the password is compromised. Special characters are characters that are not alphanumeric. Examples include: ~ ! @ # $ % ^ *.

Description

Use of a complex password helps to increase the time and resources required to compromise the password. Password complexity, or strength, is a measure of the effectiveness of a password in resisting attempts at guessing and brute-force attacks. Password complexity is one factor in determining how long it takes to crack a password. The more complex the password, the greater the number of possible combinations that need to be tested before the password is compromised. Special characters are characters that are not alphanumeric. Examples include: ~ ! @ # $ % ^ *.

STIG	Date
Mainframe Product Security Requirements Guide	2017-06-22

Details

Check Text ( C-68911r1_chk )
If the Mainframe Product employs an external security manager (ESM) for all account management functions, this is not applicable. Examine user account management configurations. If the Mainframe Product does not enforce password complexity by requiring at least one special character be used, this is a finding.

Fix Text (F-74495r1_fix)
Configure the Mainframe Product to enforce password complexity by requiring the use of at least one special character in passwords.