Finding ID | Version | Rule ID | IA Controls | Severity |
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V-71915 | RHEL-07-010180 | SV-86539r3_rule | Medium |
Description |
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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 of several that determines 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. |
STIG | Date |
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Red Hat Enterprise Linux 7 Security Technical Implementation Guide | 2018-11-28 |
Check Text ( C-72147r2_chk ) |
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The "maxrepeat" option sets the maximum number of allowed same consecutive characters in a new password. Check for the value of the "maxrepeat" option in "/etc/security/pwquality.conf" with the following command: # grep maxrepeat /etc/security/pwquality.conf maxrepeat = 3 If the value of "maxrepeat" is set to more than "3", this is a finding. |
Fix Text (F-78267r2_fix) |
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Configure the operating system to require the change of the number of repeating consecutive characters when passwords are changed by setting the "maxrepeat" option. Add the following line to "/etc/security/pwquality.conf conf" (or modify the line to have the required value): maxrepeat = 3 |