Title

Ubuntu OS must enforce password complexity by requiring at least one lowercase 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

Verify Ubuntu OS enforces password complexity by requiring that at least one lowercase character be used by using the following command: $ grep -i lcredit /etc/security/pwquality.conf lcredit = -1 If "lcredit" is greater than "-1", is commented out, or is missing, this is a finding.

Fix Text

Configure Ubuntu OS to enforce password complexity by requiring that at least one lowercase character be used. Add or modify the following line in the "/etc/security/pwquality.conf" file: lcredit = -1

Additional Identifiers

Rule ID: SV-275650r1148000_rule

Vulnerability ID: V-275650

Group Title: SRG-OS-000070-GPOS-00038

Expert Comments

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