DISA STIGS Viewer

OL 9 must require the change of at least four character classes when passwords are changed.

Overview

Finding ID Version Rule ID IA Controls Severity
V-271620 OL09-00-001040 SV-271620r1091572_rule   Medium
Description
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 a password, the greater the number of possible combinations that need to be tested before the password is compromised.
STIG Date
Oracle Linux 9 Security Technical Implementation Guide 2025-05-08

Details

Check Text (C-75670r1091570_chk)
Verify that OL 9 requires the change of at least four character classes when passwords are changed.

Verify the value of the "minclass" option in "/etc/security/pwquality.conf" with the following command:

$ grep minclass /etc/security/pwquality.conf /etc/security/pwquality.conf.d/*.conf
minclass = 4

If the value of "minclass" is set to less than "4", or is commented out, this is a finding.
Fix Text (F-75577r1091571_fix)
Configure OL 9 to require the change of at least four character classes when passwords are changed by setting the "minclass" option.

Add the following line to "/etc/security/pwquality.conf" (or modify the line to have the required value):

minclass = 4