Ubuntu OS must enforce a minimum 15-character password length.
Severity | Group ID | Group Title | Version | Rule ID | Date | STIG Version |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| medium | V-275654 | SRG-OS-000078-GPOS-00046 | RIIM-OS-611035 | SV-275654r1148012_rule | 2025-10-02 | 1 |
| Description |
|---|
| The shorter the password, the lower the number of possible combinations that need to be tested before the password is compromised. Password complexity, or strength, is a measure of the effectiveness of a password in resisting attempts at guessing and brute-force attacks. Password length is one factor of several that helps to determine strength and how long it takes to crack a password. Use of more characters in a password helps to exponentially increase the time and/or resources required to compromise the password. |
| ℹ️ Check |
|---|
| Verify with the following command that the pwquality configuration file enforces a minimum 15-character password length: $ grep -i minlen /etc/security/pwquality.conf minlen = 15 If "minlen" is not "15" or higher, is commented out, or is missing, this is a finding. |
| ✔️ Fix |
|---|
| Configure Ubuntu OS to enforce a minimum 15-character password length. Add or modify the following line in the "/etc/security/pwquality.conf" file: minlen = 15 |