The macOS system must require that passwords contain a minimum of one special character.

Severity	Group ID	Group Title	Version	Rule ID	Date	STIG Version
medium	V-277147	SRG-OS-000266-GPOS-00101	APPL-26-003011	SV-277147r1149411_rule	2025-10-01	1

Description
The macOS must be configured to require that at least one special character be used when a password is created. Special characters are characters that are not alphanumeric. Examples include: ~ ! @ # $ % ^ *. This rule enforces password complexity by requiring users to set passwords that are less vulnerable to malicious users. Note: The guidance for password-based authentication in NIST 800-53 (Rev 5) and NIST 800-63B states that complexity rules must be organizationally defined. The values defined are based on common complexity values, but each organization may define its own password complexity rules.

Description

The macOS must be configured to require that at least one special character be used when a password is created. Special characters are characters that are not alphanumeric. Examples include: ~ ! @ # $ % ^ *. This rule enforces password complexity by requiring users to set passwords that are less vulnerable to malicious users. Note: The guidance for password-based authentication in NIST 800-53 (Rev 5) and NIST 800-63B states that complexity rules must be organizationally defined. The values defined are based on common complexity values, but each organization may define its own password complexity rules.

ℹ️ Check
Verify the macOS system is configured to require passwords contain a minimum of one special character with the following command: /usr/bin/pwpolicy -getaccountpolicies 2>/dev/null \| /usr/bin/tail -n +2 \| /usr/bin/xmllint --xpath "//string[contains(text(), \"policyAttributePassword matches '(.[^a-zA-Z0-9].){\")]" - 2>/dev/null \| /usr/bin/awk -F"{\|}" '{if ($2 >= 1) {print "pass"} else {print "fail"}}' If the result is not "pass", this is a finding.

ℹ️ Check

Verify the macOS system is configured to require passwords contain a minimum of one special character with the following command: /usr/bin/pwpolicy -getaccountpolicies 2>/dev/null | /usr/bin/tail -n +2 | /usr/bin/xmllint --xpath "//string[contains(text(), \"policyAttributePassword matches '(.*[^a-zA-Z0-9].*){\")]" - 2>/dev/null | /usr/bin/awk -F"{|}" '{if ($2 >= 1) {print "pass"} else {print "fail"}}' If the result is not "pass", this is a finding.

✔️ Fix
Configure the macOS system to require that passwords contain a minimum of one special character by installing the "com.apple.mobiledevice.passwordpolicy" configuration profile.