Ubuntu 22.04 LTS must not allow accounts configured with blank or null passwords.
Severity | Group ID | Group Title | Version | Rule ID | Date | STIG Version |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| high | V-260570 | SRG-OS-000480-GPOS-00227 | UBTU-22-611060 | SV-260570r1082233_rule | 2026-02-06 | 2 |
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.
ℹ️ Check
Verify that null passwords cannot be used. Run the following command:
$ grep nullok /etc/pam.d/common-auth /etc/pam.d/common-password
If this produces any output, this is a finding.
✔️ Fix
Remove any instances of the "nullok" option in "/etc/pam.d/common-password" to prevent logons with empty passwords.
Remove any instances of the "nullok" option in "/etc/pam.d/common-auth" and "/etc/pam.d/common-password".