Title

Apple iOS must enforce a minimum password length of six characters. (Cat III impact)

Discussion

Password strength is a measure of the effectiveness of a password in resisting guessing and brute force attacks. The ability to crack a password is a function of how many attempts an adversary is permitted, how quickly an adversary can do each attempt, and the size of the password space. The longer the minimum length of the password is, the larger the password space. Having a too-short minimum password length significantly reduces password strength, increasing the chance of password compromise and resulting device and data compromise. SFR ID: FMT_SMF_EXT.1.1 #1a

Check Content

Review configuration settings to confirm the minimum passcode length is six or more characters. This procedure is performed in the Apple iOS management tool and on the Apple iOS device. Note: If an organization has multiple configuration profiles, the check procedure must be performed on the relevant configuration profiles applicable to the scope of the review. In the Management tool, verify the "Minimum passcode length" value is set to "6" or greater. Alternatively, verify the text "<key>minLength</key> <integer>6</integer>" appears in the configuration profile (.mobileconfig file). It also is acceptable for the integer value to be greater than "6". On the Apple iOS device: 1. Open the Settings app. 2. Tap "General". 3. Tap "Profiles & Device Management". 4. Tap the Configuration Profile from the Apple iOS management tool containing the password policy. 5. Tap "Restrictions". 6. Tap "Passcode". 7. Verify "Minimum length" is listed as "6" or greater. If the "Minimum passcode length" is less than "6" characters in the iOS management tool, "<key>minLength</key> " has an integer value of less than "6", or the password policy on the Apple iOS device from the Apple iOS management tool does not list "Minimum length" of "6" or fewer, this is a finding.

Fix Text

Install a configuration profile to enforce a minimum passcode length value of "6" or greater.

Additional Identifiers

Rule ID: SV-93061r1_rule

Vulnerability ID: V-78355

Group Title: PP-MDF-301010

Expert Comments

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