SLEM 5 must not be configured to allow blank or null passwords.
Severity | Group ID | Group Title | Version | Rule ID | Date | STIG Version |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| high | V-261386 | SRG-OS-000480-GPOS-00227 | SLEM-05-611055 | SV-261386r996587_rule | 2026-02-10 | 1 |
Description
Passwords need to be protected at all times, and encryption is the standard method for protecting passwords. If passwords are not encrypted, they can be plainly read (i.e., clear text) and easily compromised.
ℹ️ Check
Verify SLEM 5 is not configured to allow blank or null passwords with the following command:
> grep pam_unix.so /etc/pam.d/* | grep nullok
If this produces any output, this is a finding.
✔️ Fix
Configure SLEM 5 to not allow blank or null passwords.
Remove any instances of the "nullok" option in "/etc/pam.d/common-auth" and "/etc/pam.d/common-password" to prevent logons with empty passwords.