Title

The Ubuntu operating system must be configured so that three consecutive invalid logon attempts by a user automatically locks the account until released by an administrator. (Cat II impact)

Discussion

By limiting the number of failed logon attempts, the risk of unauthorized system access via user password guessing, otherwise known as brute-force attacks, is reduced. Limits are imposed by locking the account. Satisfies: SRG-OS-000329-GPOS-00128

Check Content

Verify that the Ubuntu operating system utilizes the "pam_faillock" module with the following command: $ grep faillock /etc/pam.d/common-auth auth [default=die] pam_faillock.so authfail auth sufficient pam_faillock.so authsucc If the pam_faillock.so module is not present in the "/etc/pam.d/common-auth" file, this is a finding. Verify the pam_faillock module is configured to use the following options: $ sudo egrep 'silent|audit|deny|fail_interval| unlock_time' /etc/security/faillock.conf audit silent deny = 3 fail_interval = 900 unlock_time = 0 If the "silent" keyword is missing or commented out, this is a finding. If the "audit" keyword is missing or commented out, this is a finding. If the "deny" keyword is missing, commented out, or set to a value greater than 3, this is a finding. If the "fail_interval" keyword is missing, commented out, or set to a value greater than 900, this is a finding. If the "unlock_time" keyword is missing, commented out, or is not set to 0, this is a finding.

Fix Text

Configure the Ubuntu operating system to utilize the "pam_faillock" module. Edit the /etc/pam.d/common-auth file. Add the following lines below the "auth" definition for pam_unix.so: auth [default=die] pam_faillock.so authfail auth sufficient pam_faillock.so authsucc Configure the "pam_faillock" module to use the following options: Edit the /etc/security/faillock.conf file and add/update the following keywords and values: audit silent deny = 3 fail_interval = 900 unlock_time = 0

Additional Identifiers

Rule ID: SV-219166r853369_rule

Vulnerability ID: V-219166

Group Title: SRG-OS-000021-GPOS-00005

Expert Comments

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