TOSS must enforce a delay of at least four seconds between logon prompts following a failed logon attempt.
Severity | Group ID | Group Title | Version | Rule ID | Date | STIG Version |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| medium | V-253097 | SRG-OS-000480-GPOS-00226 | TOSS-04-040550 | SV-253097r991588_rule | 2026-02-19 | 2 |
Description
Limiting the number of logon attempts over a certain time interval reduces the chances that an unauthorized user may gain access to an account.
ℹ️ Check
Verify the operating system enforces a delay of at least four seconds between console logon prompts following a failed logon attempt with the following command:
$ sudo grep -i fail_delay /etc/login.defs
FAIL_DELAY 4
If the value of "FAIL_DELAY" is not set to "4" or greater, or the line is commented out, this is a finding.
✔️ Fix
Configure the operating system to enforce a delay of at least four seconds between logon prompts following a failed console logon attempt.
Modify the "/etc/login.defs" file to set the "FAIL_DELAY" parameter to "4" or greater:
FAIL_DELAY 4