If passwords are used for authentication, PostgreSQL must store only hashed, salted representations of passwords.

Overview

Finding ID	Version	Rule ID	IA Controls	Severity
V-73015	PGS9-00-009500	SV-87667r1_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, database passwords stored in clear text, using reversible encryption, or using unsalted hashes would be vulnerable to unauthorized disclosure. Database passwords must always be in the form of one-way, salted hashes when stored internally or externally to PostgreSQL.

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, database passwords stored in clear text, using reversible encryption, or using unsalted hashes would be vulnerable to unauthorized disclosure. Database passwords must always be in the form of one-way, salted hashes when stored internally or externally to PostgreSQL.

STIG	Date
PostgreSQL 9.x Security Technical Implementation Guide	2017-01-20

Details

Check Text ( C-73147r1_chk )
To check if password encryption is enabled, as the database administrator (shown here as "postgres"), run the following SQL: $ sudo su - postgres $ psql -c "SHOW password_encryption" If password_encryption is not on, this is a finding. Next, to identify if any passwords have been stored without being hashed and salted, as the database administrator (shown here as "postgres"), run the following SQL: $ sudo su - postgres $ psql -x -c "SELECT * FROM pg_shadow" If any password is in plaintext, this is a finding.

Check Text ( C-73147r1_chk )

To check if password encryption is enabled, as the database administrator (shown here as "postgres"), run the following SQL:

$ sudo su - postgres
$ psql -c "SHOW password_encryption"

If password_encryption is not on, this is a finding.

Next, to identify if any passwords have been stored without being hashed and salted, as the database administrator (shown here as "postgres"), run the following SQL:

$ sudo su - postgres
$ psql -x -c "SELECT * FROM pg_shadow"

If any password is in plaintext, this is a finding.

Fix Text (F-79461r1_fix)
Note: The following instructions use the PGDATA environment variable. See supplementary content APPENDIX-F for instructions on configuring PGDATA. To enable password_encryption, as the database administrator, edit postgresql.conf: $ sudo su - postgres $ vi ${PGDATA?}/postgresql.conf password_encryption = on Institute a policy of not using the "WITH UNENCRYPTED PASSWORD" option with the CREATE ROLE/USER and ALTER ROLE/USER commands. (This option overrides the setting of the password_encryption configuration parameter.) As the system administrator, restart the server with the new configuration: # SYSTEMD SERVER ONLY $ sudo systemctl restart postgresql-9.5 # INITD SERVER ONLY $ sudo service postgresql-9.5 restart

Fix Text (F-79461r1_fix)

Note: The following instructions use the PGDATA environment variable. See supplementary content APPENDIX-F for instructions on configuring PGDATA.

To enable password_encryption, as the database administrator, edit postgresql.conf:

$ sudo su - postgres
$ vi ${PGDATA?}/postgresql.conf
password_encryption = on

Institute a policy of not using the "WITH UNENCRYPTED PASSWORD" option with the CREATE ROLE/USER and ALTER ROLE/USER commands. (This option overrides the setting of the password_encryption configuration parameter.)

As the system administrator, restart the server with the new configuration:

# SYSTEMD SERVER ONLY
$ sudo systemctl restart postgresql-9.5

# INITD SERVER ONLY
$ sudo service postgresql-9.5 restart