Amazon Linux 2023 must automatically lock an account when three unsuccessful logon attempts occur.

Severity
Group ID
Group Title
Version
Rule ID
Date
STIG Version
mediumV-274154SRG-OS-000329-GPOS-00128AZLX-23-002455SV-274154r1120450_rule2025-07-151
Description
By limiting the number of failed logon attempts, the risk of unauthorized system access via user password guessing, otherwise known as brute-forcing, is reduced. Limits are imposed by locking the account.
ℹ️ Check
Verify Amazon Linux 2023 is configured to lock an account after three unsuccessful logon attempts with the command: $ grep 'deny =' /etc/security/faillock.conf deny = 3 If the "deny" option is not set to "3" or less (but not "0"), is missing or commented out, this is a finding.
✔️ Fix
Configure Amazon Linux 2023 to lock an account when three unsuccessful logon attempts occur. Add/modify the "/etc/security/faillock.conf" file to match the following line: deny = 3