Title

RHEL 8 must not allow blank or null passwords in the system-auth file. (Cat I impact)

Discussion

If an account has an empty password, anyone could log on and run commands with the privileges of that account. Accounts with empty passwords should never be used in operational environments.

Check Content

To verify that null passwords cannot be used, run the following command: $ sudo grep -i nullok /etc/pam.d/system-auth If output is produced, this is a finding.

Fix Text

Remove any instances of the "nullok" option in the "/etc/pam.d/system-auth" file to prevent logons with empty passwords. Note: Manual changes to the listed file may be overwritten by the "authselect" program.

Additional Identifiers

Rule ID: SV-244540r743869_rule

Vulnerability ID: V-244540

Group Title: SRG-OS-000480-GPOS-00227

Expert Comments

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