| Enforcing a minimum password lifetime helps prevent repeated password changes to defeat the password reuse or history enforcement requirement.
Restricting this setting limits the user's ability to change their password. Passwords need to be changed at specific policy-based intervals; however, if the network device allows the user to immediately and continually change their password, then the password could be repeatedly changed in a short period of time to defeat the organization's policy regarding password reuse.
This control does not include root account or the account of last resort. For network devices, implementation of this requirement could cause emergency maintenance issues if applied to these local accounts. For example, after maintenance by maintenance personnel who are not normally authorized access to these passwords, the passwords will need to be changed. This is the same as the requirement to change the password when a system administrator with knowledge of the passwords for the root or account of last resort leaves the organization. |
