Amazon Linux 2023 must enforce a delay of at least four seconds between logon prompts following a failed logon attempt.

Severity
Group ID
Group Title
Version
Rule ID
Date
STIG Version
mediumV-274144SRG-OS-000480-GPOS-00226AZLX-23-002405SV-274144r1120420_rule2025-07-151
Description
Increasing the time between a failed authentication attempt and re-prompting to enter credentials helps to slow a single-threaded brute force attack.
ℹ️ Check
Verify Amazon Linux 2023 enforces a delay of at least four seconds between console logon prompts following a failed logon attempt with the following command: $ sudo grep -i fail_delay /etc/login.defs FAIL_DELAY 4 If the value of "FAIL_DELAY" is not set to "4" or greater, the line is commented out, or the line is missing, this is a finding.
✔️ Fix
Configure Amazon Linux 2023 to enforce a delay of at least four seconds between logon prompts following a failed console logon attempt. Modify the "/etc/login.defs" file to set the "FAIL_DELAY" parameter to "4" or greater: FAIL_DELAY 4