IBM z/OS must enforce a minimum eight character password length.

Overview

Finding IDVersionRule IDIA ControlsSeverity
V-252705ACF2-ES-000990SV-252705r1001146_ruleCCI-004065medium
Description
The shorter the password, the lower the number of possible combinations that need to be tested before the password is compromised. Password complexity, or strength, is a measure of the effectiveness of a password in resisting attempts at guessing and brute-force attacks. Password length is one factor of several that helps to determine strength and how long it takes to crack a password. Use of more characters in a password helps to exponentially increase the time and/or resources required to compromise the password.
STIGDate
IBM z/OS ACF2 Security Technical Implementation Guide2025-06-24

Details

Check Text (C-252705r1001146_chk)

From an ACF command screen enter: SET CONTROL(GSO) LIST PSWD If "MINPSWD" is set to "8", this is not a finding.

Fix Text (F-56111r819059_fix)

Configure the Password option "MINPSWD" to "8".