RHEL 8 must not allow blank or null passwords in the password-auth file.

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Overview

Finding ID	Version	Rule ID	IA Controls	Severity
V-244541	RHEL-08-020332	SV-244541r1017347_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.

STIG	Date
Red Hat Enterprise Linux 8 Security Technical Implementation Guide	2025-03-26

Details

Check Text (C-47816r743870_chk)

To verify that null passwords cannot be used, run the following command:

$ sudo grep -i nullok /etc/pam.d/password-auth

If output is produced, this is a finding.

Fix Text (F-47773r743871_fix)

Remove any instances of the "nullok" option in the "/etc/pam.d/password-auth" file to prevent logons with empty passwords.

Note: Manual changes to the listed file may be overwritten by the "authselect" program.

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