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The Red Hat Enterprise Linux operating system must not have accounts configured with blank or null passwords.


Overview

Finding ID Version Rule ID IA Controls Severity
V-251702 RHEL-07-010291 SV-251702r809220_rule High
Description
If an account has an empty password, anyone could log on and run commands with the privileges of that account. Accounts with empty passwords should never be used in operational environments.
STIG Date
Red Hat Enterprise Linux 7 Security Technical Implementation Guide 2022-12-06

Details

Check Text ( C-55139r809218_chk )
Check the "/etc/shadow" file for blank passwords with the following command:

$ sudo awk -F: '!$2 {print $1}' /etc/shadow

If the command returns any results, this is a finding.
Fix Text (F-55093r809219_fix)
Configure all accounts on the system to have a password or lock the account with the following commands:

Perform a password reset:
$ sudo passwd [username]
Lock an account:
$ sudo passwd -l [username]