RHEL 10 must automatically lock an account when three unsuccessful login attempts occur.
Severity | Group ID | Group Title | Version | Rule ID | Date | STIG Version |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| medium | V-281194 | SRG-OS-000329-GPOS-00128 | RHEL-10-600410 | SV-281194r1166534_rule | 2026-03-11 | 1 |
Description
By limiting the number of failed login attempts, the risk of unauthorized system access via user password guessing, otherwise known as brute-force attacks, is reduced. Limits are imposed by locking the account.
Satisfies: SRG-OS-000329-GPOS-00128, SRG-OS-000021-GPOS-00005
ℹ️ Check
Verify RHEL 10 is configured to lock an account after three unsuccessful login attempts with the following command:
$ sudo grep 'deny =' /etc/security/faillock.conf
deny = 3
If the "deny" option is not set to "3" or less (but not "0"), or is missing or commented out, this is a finding.
✔️ Fix
Configure RHEL 10 to lock an account when three unsuccessful login attempts occur.
Add/modify the "/etc/security/faillock.conf" file to match the following line:
deny = 3