RHEL 9 shadow password suite must be configured to use a sufficient number of hashing rounds.

Overview

Finding ID	Version	Rule ID	IA Controls	Severity
V-258119	RHEL-09-611150	SV-258119r997104_rule		Medium

Description
Passwords need to be protected at all times, and encryption is the standard method for protecting passwords. If passwords are not encrypted, they can be plainly read (i.e., clear text) and easily compromised. Passwords that are encrypted with a weak algorithm are no more protected than if they are kept in plain text. Using more hashing rounds makes password cracking attacks more difficult. Satisfies: SRG-OS-000073-GPOS-00041, SRG-OS-000120-GPOS-00061

Description

Passwords need to be protected at all times, and encryption is the standard method for protecting passwords. If passwords are not encrypted, they can be plainly read (i.e., clear text) and easily compromised. Passwords that are encrypted with a weak algorithm are no more protected than if they are kept in plain text. Using more hashing rounds makes password cracking attacks more difficult. Satisfies: SRG-OS-000073-GPOS-00041, SRG-OS-000120-GPOS-00061

STIG	Date
Red Hat Enterprise Linux 9 Security Technical Implementation Guide	2024-06-04

Details

Check Text ( C-61860r926342_chk )
Verify that RHEL 9 has a minimum number of hash rounds configured with the following command: $ grep -i sha_crypt /etc/login.defs If "SHA_CRYPT_MIN_ROUNDS" or "SHA_CRYPT_MAX_ROUNDS" is less than "5000", this is a finding.

Fix Text (F-61784r926343_fix)
Configure RHEL 9 to encrypt all stored passwords with a strong cryptographic hash. Edit/modify the following line in the "/etc/login.defs" file and set "SHA_CRYPT_MIN_ROUNDS" to a value no lower than "5000": SHA_CRYPT_MIN_ROUNDS 5000