Ubuntu 24.04 LTS must enforce password complexity by requiring that at least one numeric character be used.
Severity | Group ID | Group Title | Version | Rule ID | Date | STIG Version |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| medium | V-270728 | SRG-OS-000071-GPOS-00039 | UBTU-24-400280 | SV-270728r1066673_rule | 2026-02-06 | 1 |
Description
Use of a complex password helps to increase the time and resources required to compromise the password. Password complexity, or strength, is a measure of the effectiveness of a password in resisting attempts at guessing and brute-force attacks.
Password complexity is one factor of several that determines how long it takes to crack a password. The more complex the password, the greater the number of possible combinations that need to be tested before the password is compromised.
Satisfies: SRG-OS-000071-GPOS-00039, SRG-OS-000730-GPOS-00190
ℹ️ Check
Verify Ubuntu 24.04 LTS enforces password complexity by requiring that at least one numeric character be used.
Determine if the field "dcredit" is set in the "/etc/security/pwquality.conf" file with the following command:
$ grep -i "dcredit" /etc/security/pwquality.conf
dcredit=-1
If the "dcredit" parameter is greater than "-1", is commented out, or is missing, this is a finding.
✔️ Fix
Configure Ubuntu 24.04 LTS to enforce password complexity by requiring that at least one numeric character be used.
Add or update the "/etc/security/pwquality.conf" file to contain the "dcredit" parameter:
dcredit=-1