STIGUI
V-260546CAT II — Medium severitySV-260546r1273631_rule

Ubuntu 22.04 LTS must be able to enforce a 180-day maximum password lifetime restriction.

Rule version UBTU-22-411030 · STIG v2 · 2026-09-09

Discussion

Any password, no matter how complex, can eventually be cracked. Therefore, passwords need to be changed periodically. If Ubuntu 22.04 LTS does not limit the lifetime of passwords and force users to change their passwords, there is the risk that Ubuntu 22.04 LTS passwords could be compromised.

Check

Verify Ubuntu 22.04 LTS enforces a 180-day maximum password lifetime for new user accounts by using the following command:

$ grep -i pass_max_days /etc/login.defs PASS_MAX_DAYS 180

If "PASS_MAX_DAYS" is less than "180", is commented out, or is missing, this is a finding.

Fix

Configure Ubuntu 22.04 LTS to enforce a 180-day maximum password lifetime.

Add or modify the following line in the "/etc/login.defs" file:

PASS_MAX_DAYS 180

Identifiers

Group ID
V-260546
Group title
SRG-OS-000076-GPOS-00044
Rule ID
SV-260546r1273631_rule
Check ID
C-64275r1273629_chk
Fix ID
F-64183r1273630_fix