Title

The system must require that passwords contain at least one uppercase alphabetic character. (Cat II impact)

Discussion

To enforce the use of complex passwords, minimum numbers of characters of different classes are mandated. The use of complex passwords reduces the ability of attackers to successfully obtain valid passwords using guessing or exhaustive search techniques. Complexity requirements increase the password search space by requiring users to construct passwords from a larger character set than they may otherwise use.

Check Content

Determine if at least 1 lowercase letter is required for passwords. If the settings do not enforce at least 1 lower case letter, this is a finding.

Fix Text

Configure the system to require at least 1 lowercase letter for passwords.

Additional Identifiers

Rule ID: SV-12449r2_rule

Vulnerability ID: V-11948

Group Title: GEN000600

Expert Comments

CCIs tied to check.

Controls tied to check. These are derived from the CCIs shown above.