NixOS must require the change of at least 50 percent of the total number of characters when passwords are changed.
Overview
| Finding ID | Version | Rule ID | IA Controls | Severity |
| V-268129 | ANIX-00-000760 | SV-268129r1039275_rule | CCI-004066 | medium |
| Description | ||||
| 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. | ||||
| STIG | Date | |||
| Anduril NixOS Security Technical Implementation Guide | 2024-10-25 | |||
Details
Check Text (C-268129r1039275_chk)
Verify NixOS enforces password complexity by requiring that at least 50 percent of the characters are changed with the following command:
$ grep difok /etc/security/pwquality.conf
difok=8
If the value of "difok" is set to less than "8", or is commented out, this is a finding.
Fix Text (F-71956r1039274_fix)
Configure NixOS to enforce password complexity.
Add/modify /etc/nixos/configuration.nix to include the following lines:
environment.etc."/security/pwquality.conf".text = ''
difok=8
'';
Rebuild the system with the following command:
$ sudo nixos-rebuild switch