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RHEL 9 SSHD must not allow blank passwords.
Overview
| Finding ID | Version | Rule ID | IA Controls | Severity |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| V-257984 | RHEL-09-255040 | SV-257984r958486_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. Satisfies: SRG-OS-000106-GPOS-00053, SRG-OS-000480-GPOS-00229, SRG-OS-000480-GPOS-00227 |
| STIG | Date |
|---|---|
| Red Hat Enterprise Linux 9 Security Technical Implementation Guide | 2024-06-04 |
Details
| Check Text ( C-61725r952178_chk ) |
|---|
| Verify that RHEL 9 remote access using SSH prevents logging on with a blank password with the following command: $ sudo /usr/sbin/sshd -dd 2>&1 | awk '/filename/ {print $4}' | tr -d '\r' | tr '\n' ' ' | xargs sudo grep -iH '^\s*permitemptypasswords' PermitEmptyPassword no If the "PermitEmptyPassword" keyword is set to "yes", is missing, or is commented out, this is a finding. |
| Fix Text (F-61649r925938_fix) |
|---|
| To configure the system to prevent SSH users from logging on with blank passwords edit the following line in "etc/ssh/sshd_config": PermitEmptyPasswords no Restart the SSH daemon for the settings to take effect: $ sudo systemctl restart sshd.service |