RHEL 8 must prevent the use of dictionary words for passwords.
Overview
| Finding ID | Version | Rule ID | IA Controls | Severity |
| V-230377 | RHEL-08-020300 | SV-230377r1017188_rule | Medium |
| Description |
| If RHEL 8 allows the user to select passwords based on dictionary words, this increases the chances of password compromise by increasing the opportunity for successful guesses, and brute-force attacks. |
| STIG | Date |
| Red Hat Enterprise Linux 8 Security Technical Implementation Guide | 2025-05-14 |
Details
| Check Text (C-33046r833330_chk) |
| Verify RHEL 8 prevents the use of dictionary words for passwords. Determine if the field "dictcheck" is set with the following command: $ sudo grep -r dictcheck /etc/security/pwquality.conf* /etc/security/pwquality.conf:dictcheck=1 If the "dictcheck" parameter is not set to "1", or is commented out, this is a finding. If conflicting results are returned, this is a finding. |
| Fix Text (F-33021r858788_fix) |
| Configure RHEL 8 to prevent the use of dictionary words for passwords. Add or update the following line in the "/etc/security/pwquality.conf" file or a configuration file in the /etc/pwquality.conf.d/ directory to contain the "dictcheck" parameter: dictcheck=1 Remove any configurations that conflict with the above value. |