The web server must, for password-based authentication, maintain a list of commonly used, expected, or compromised passwords on an organization-defined frequency.

Password-based authentication applies to passwords regardless of whether they are used in single-factor or multifactor authentication. Long passwords or passphrases are preferable over shorter passwords. Enforced composition rules provide marginal security benefits while decreasing usability. However, organizations may choose to establish certain rules for password generation (e.g., minimum character length for long passwords) under certain circumstances and can enforce this requirement in IA-5(1)(h). Account recovery can occur, for example, in situations when a password is forgotten. Cryptographically protected passwords include salted one-way cryptographic hashes of passwords. The list of commonly used, compromised, or expected passwords includes passwords obtained from previous breach corpuses, dictionary words, and repetitive or sequential characters. The list includes context-specific words, such as the name of the service, username, and derivatives thereof.

Verify the web server is configured to maintain a list of commonly used, expected, or compromised passwords on an organization-defined frequency.

If the web server is not configured to maintain a list of commonly used, expected, or compromised passwords on an organization-defined frequency, this is a finding.

Configure the web server to maintain a list of commonly used, expected, or compromised passwords on an organization-defined frequency.