Temporary passwords for SUSE operating system logons must require an immediate change to a permanent password.

Overview

Finding ID	Version	Rule ID	IA Controls	Severity
V-217165	SLES-12-010660	SV-217165r505931_rule		Medium

Description
Without providing this capability, an account may be created without a password. Nonrepudiation cannot be guaranteed once an account is created if a user is not forced to change the temporary password upon initial logon. Temporary passwords are typically used to allow access when new accounts are created or passwords are changed. It is common practice for administrators to create temporary passwords for user accounts that allow the users to log on, yet force them to change the password once they have successfully authenticated.

Description

Without providing this capability, an account may be created without a password. Nonrepudiation cannot be guaranteed once an account is created if a user is not forced to change the temporary password upon initial logon. Temporary passwords are typically used to allow access when new accounts are created or passwords are changed. It is common practice for administrators to create temporary passwords for user accounts that allow the users to log on, yet force them to change the password once they have successfully authenticated.

STIG	Date
SLES 12 Security Technical Implementation Guide	2020-09-10

Details

Check Text ( C-18393r369651_chk )
Verify that a policy exists that ensures when a user is created, it is creating using a method that forces a user to change their password upon their next login. If a policy does not exist, then this is a finding.

Fix Text (F-18391r369652_fix)
Configure the SUSE operating system to allow the use of a temporary password for system logons with an immediate change to a permanent password. Using one of the acceptable methods listed below, force a user to change their password on their next logon by replacing "[UserName]" in the one of the following commands: # chage -d 0 [UserName] # passwd -e [UserName]