The macOS system must require that passwords contain a minimum of one special character.

Overview

Finding ID	Version	Rule ID	IA Controls	Severity
V-268538	APPL-15-003011	SV-268538r1034554_rule		Medium

Description

The macOS must be configured to require that at least one special character be used when a password is created. Special characters are characters that are not alphanumeric. Examples include: ~ ! @ # $ % ^ *. This rule enforces password complexity by requiring users to set passwords that are less vulnerable to malicious users. NOTE: The guidance for password-based authentication in NIST 800-53 (Rev 5) and NIST 800-63B states that complexity rules should be organizationally defined. The values defined are based on common complexity values, but each organization may define its own password complexity rules.

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

Details

Check Text (C-72568r1034552_chk)

Verify the macOS system is configured to require passwords contain a minimum of one special character with the following command:

/usr/bin/pwpolicy -getaccountpolicies 2> /dev/null | /usr/bin/tail +2 | /usr/bin/xmllint --xpath 'boolean(//*[contains(text(),"policyAttributePassword matches '\''(.*[^a-zA-Z0-9].*){1,}'\''")])' -

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

Fix Text (F-72469r1034553_fix)

Configure the macOS system to require that passwords contain a minimum of one special character by installing the "com.apple.mobiledevice.passwordpolicy" configuration profile.