SLEM 5 shadow password suite must be configured to use a sufficient number of hashing rounds.

The system must use a strong hashing algorithm to store the password. The system must use a sufficient number of hashing rounds to ensure the required level of entropy.

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.

Verify SLEM 5 shadow password suite is configured to encrypt passwords using sufficient number of hashing rounds.

     > egrep "^SHA_CRYPT_" /etc/login.defs
     SHA_CRYPT_MIN_ROUNDS 100000
     SHA_CRYPT_MAX_ROUNDS 100000

If only one of "SHA_CRYPT_MIN_ROUNDS" or "SHA_CRYPT_MAX_ROUNDS" is set, and this value is below "100000", this is a finding.

If both "SHA_CRYPT_MIN_ROUNDS" and "SHA_CRYPT_MAX_ROUNDS" are set, and the highest value for either is below "100000", this is a finding.

Configure SLEM 5 shadow password suite to encrypt passwords using sufficient number of hashing rounds.

Add or modify the following line in the "/etc/login.defs" file:

SHA_CRYPT_MIN_ROUNDS 100000