The macOS system must set account lockout time to 15 minutes.

Overview

Finding ID	Version	Rule ID	IA Controls	Severity
V-268440	APPL-15-000060	SV-268440r1034260_rule		Medium

Description

The macOS system must be configured to enforce a lockout time period of at least 15 minutes when the maximum number of failed login attempts is reached. This rule protects against malicious users attempting to gain access to the system via brute-force hacking methods. Satisfies: SRG-OS-000021-GPOS-00005, SRG-OS-000329-GPOS-00128

STIG	Date
Apple macOS 15 (Sequoia) Security Technical Implementation Guide	2025-05-05

Details

Check Text (C-72470r1034258_chk)

Verify the macOS system is configured to set account lockout time to 15 minutes with the following command:

/usr/bin/pwpolicy -getaccountpolicies 2> /dev/null | /usr/bin/tail +2 | /usr/bin/xmllint --xpath '//dict/key[text()="autoEnableInSeconds"]/following-sibling::integer[1]/text()' - | /usr/bin/awk '{ if ($1/60 >= 15 ) {print "yes"} else {print "no"}}'

If the result is not "yes", this is a finding.

Fix Text (F-72371r1034259_fix)

Configure the macOS system to set account lockout time to 15 minutes by installing the "com.apple.mobiledevice.passwordpolicy" configuration profile or by a directory service.