Title

Ubuntu 24.04 LTS must require the change of at least eight characters when passwords are changed. (Cat II impact)

Discussion

If Ubuntu 24.04 LTS allows the user to consecutively reuse extensive portions of passwords, this increases the chances of password compromise by increasing the window of opportunity for attempts at guessing and brute-force attacks. The number of changed characters refers to the number of changes required with respect to the total number of positions in the current password. In other words, characters may be the same within the two passwords; however, the positions of the like characters must be different. If the password length is an odd number, then number of changed characters must be rounded up. For example, a password length of 15 characters must require the change of at least eight characters. Satisfies: SRG-OS-000072-GPOS-00040, SRG-OS-000730-GPOS-00190

Check Content

Verify Ubuntu 24.04 LTS requires the change of at least eight characters when passwords are changed with the following command: $ grep -i "difok" /etc/security/pwquality.conf difok=8 If the "difok" parameter is less than "8" or is commented out, this is a finding.

Fix Text

Configure Ubuntu 24.04 LTS to require the change of at least eight characters when passwords are changed. Add or update the "/etc/security/pwquality.conf" file to include the "difok=8" parameter: difok=8

Additional Identifiers

Rule ID: SV-270729r1066676_rule

Vulnerability ID: V-270729

Group Title: SRG-OS-000072-GPOS-00040

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