RHEL 9 user account passwords must have a 180-day maximum password lifetime restriction.

Any password, no matter how complex, can eventually be cracked; therefore, passwords need to be changed periodically. If RHEL 9 does not limit the lifetime of passwords and force users to change their passwords, there is the risk that RHEL 9 passwords could be compromised.

Verify the maximum time period for existing passwords is restricted to 180 days with the following commands:

$ sudo awk -F: '$5 > 180 {print $1 " " $5}' /etc/shadow

$ sudo awk -F: '$5 <= 0 {print $1 " " $5}' /etc/shadow

If any results are returned that are not associated with a system account, this is a finding.

Configure noncompliant accounts to enforce a 180-day maximum password lifetime restriction.

$ sudo passwd -x 180 [user]