RHEL 9 must prevent the use of dictionary words for passwords.
Severity | Group ID | Group Title | Version | Rule ID | Date | STIG Version |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| medium | V-258110 | SRG-OS-000480-GPOS-00225 | RHEL-09-611105 | SV-258110r1045223_rule | 2025-02-27 | 2 |
| 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. If RHEL 9 allows the user to select passwords based on dictionary words, this increases the chances of password compromise by increasing the opportunity for successful guesses, and brute-force attacks. |
| ℹ️ Check |
|---|
| Verify RHEL 9 prevents the use of dictionary words for passwords with the following command: $ grep dictcheck /etc/security/pwquality.conf /etc/security/pwquality.conf.d/*.conf /etc/security/pwquality.conf:dictcheck = 1 If "dictcheck" does not have a value other than "0", or is commented out, this is a finding. |
| ✔️ Fix |
|---|
| Configure RHEL 9 to prevent the use of dictionary words for passwords. Add or update the following line in the "/etc/security/pwquality.conf" file or a configuration file in the "/etc/security/pwquality.conf.d/" directory to contain the "dictcheck" parameter: dictcheck=1 |