Title

The Red Hat Enterprise Linux operating system must be configured so that user and group account administration utilities are configured to store only encrypted representations of passwords. (Cat II impact)

Discussion

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. Passwords encrypted with a weak algorithm are no more protected than if they are kept in plain text.

Check Content

Verify the user and group account administration utilities are configured to store only encrypted representations of passwords. The strength of encryption that must be used to hash passwords for all accounts is "SHA512". Check that the system is configured to create "SHA512" hashed passwords with the following command: # grep -i sha512 /etc/libuser.conf crypt_style = sha512 If the "crypt_style" variable is not set to "sha512", is not in the defaults section, is commented out, or does not exist, this is a finding.

Fix Text

Configure the operating system to store only SHA512 encrypted representations of passwords. Add or update the following line in "/etc/libuser.conf" in the [defaults] section: crypt_style = sha512

Additional Identifiers

Rule ID: SV-204417r877397_rule

Vulnerability ID: V-204417

Group Title: SRG-OS-000073-GPOS-00041

Expert Comments

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