Title

The macOS system must enforce password complexity by requiring that at least one numeric character be used. (Cat II impact)

Discussion

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 the password, the greater the number of possible combinations that need to be tested before the password is compromised.

Check Content

To check the currently applied policies for passwords and accounts, use the following command: /usr/sbin/system_profiler SPConfigurationProfileDataType | /usr/bin/grep requireAlphanumeric If the return is not “requireAlphanumeric = 1”, this is a finding.

Fix Text

This setting is enforced using the "Passcode Policy" configuration profile.

Additional Identifiers

Rule ID: SV-230831r599842_rule

Vulnerability ID: V-230831

Group Title: SRG-OS-000071-GPOS-00039

Expert Comments

CCIs tied to check.

Controls tied to check. These are derived from the CCIs shown above.