The Ubuntu operating system must enforce password complexity by requiring that at least one numeric character be used.

From Canonical Ubuntu 16.04 LTS Security Technical Implementation Guide

Associated with: CCI-000194

SV-90133r2_rule The Ubuntu operating system must enforce password complexity by requiring that at least one numeric character be used.

Vulnerability discussion

Use of a complex password helps to increase the time and resources required to compromise the password. Password complexity, or strength, is a measure of the effectiveness of a password in resisting attempts at guessing and brute-force attacks.Password complexity is one factor of several that determines how long it takes to crack a password. The more complex the password, the greater the number of possible combinations that need to be tested before the password is compromised.

Check content

Verify the Ubuntu operating system enforces password complexity by requiring that at least one numeric character be used. Determine if the field "dcredit" is set in the "/etc/security/pwquality.conf" file with the following command: # grep -i "dcredit" /etc/security/pwquality.conf dcredit=-1 If the "dcredit" parameter is not equal to "-1", or is commented out, this is a finding.

Fix text

Configure the Ubuntu operating system to enforce password complexity by requiring that at least one numeric character be used. Add or update the following line in the "/etc/security/pwquality.conf" file to contain the "dcredit" parameter: dcredit=-1

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