Oracle Linux 8 STIG Version Comparison

There are 1 differences between versions v2 r1 (July 24, 2024) (the "left" version) and v2 r3 (Jan. 30, 2025) (the "right" version).

Check OL08-00-010130 was changed between these two versions. Green, underlined text was added, red, struck-out text was removed.

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Title

The OL 8 shadow password suite must be configured to use a sufficient number of hashing rounds.

Check Content

Check that a minimum number of hash rounds is configured by running the following command: $ sudo grep -E "^SHA_CRYPT_" /etc/login.defs If only one of "SHA_CRYPT_MIN_ROUNDS" or "SHA_CRYPT_MAX_ROUNDS" is set, and this value is below "5000", "100000", this is a finding. If both "SHA_CRYPT_MIN_ROUNDS" and "SHA_CRYPT_MAX_ROUNDS" are set, and the value for either is below "5000", "100000", this is a finding.

Discussion

The system must use a strong hashing algorithm to store the password. The system must use a sufficient number of hashing rounds to ensure the required level of entropy. Passwords need to be protected at all times, and encryption is the standard method for protecting passwords. If passwords are not encrypted, they can be plainly read (i.e., clear text) and easily compromised.

Fix

Configure OL 8 to encrypt all stored passwords with a strong cryptographic hash. Edit/modify the following line in the "/etc/login.defs" file and set "SHA_CRYPT_MIN_ROUNDS" to a value no lower than "5000": SHA_CRYPT_MIN_ROUNDS "100000": SHA_CRYPT_MIN_ROUNDS 5000 100000