The operating system must store only encrypted representations of passwords.
Severity | Group ID | Group Title | Version | Rule ID | Date | STIG Version |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| high | V-258818 | SRG-OS-000073-GPOS-00041 | PHTN-40-000039 | SV-258818r1003633_rule | 2024-07-11 | 2 |
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
At the command line, run the following command to verify passwords are stored with only encrypted representations:
# grep ^ENCRYPT_METHOD /etc/login.defs
Example result:
ENCRYPT_METHOD SHA512
If the "ENCRYPT_METHOD" option is not set to "SHA512", is missing or commented out, this is a finding.
✔️ Fix
Navigate to and open:
/etc/login.defs
Add or update the following line:
ENCRYPT_METHOD SHA512