Amazon Linux 2023 SSHD must not allow blank passwords.
Severity | Group ID | Group Title | Version | Rule ID | Date | STIG Version |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| medium | V-274048 | SRG-OS-000106-GPOS-00053 | AZLX-23-001235 | SV-274048r1120132_rule | 2025-07-15 | 1 |
| 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 must never be used in operational environments. Satisfies: SRG-OS-000106-GPOS-00053, SRG-OS-000480-GPOS-00229 |
| ℹ️ Check |
|---|
| Verify Amazon Linux 2023 remote access using SSH prevents logging on with a blank password with the following command: $ sudo grep -ir PermitEmptyPasswords /etc/ssh/sshd_config /etc/ssh/sshd_config.d/ /etc/ssh/sshd_config:PermitEmptyPasswords no If the "PermitEmptyPassword" keyword is set to "yes", is missing, or is commented out, this is a finding. |
| ✔️ Fix |
|---|
| Configure Amazon Linux 2023 to prevent SSH users from logging on with blank passwords. Edit the following line in "etc/ssh/sshd_config" or in a file in "/etc/ssh/sshd_config.d": PermitEmptyPasswords no Restart the SSH daemon for the settings to take effect: $ sudo systemctl restart sshd.service |