Title

The system must require passwords contain at least one lowercase 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 the system requires at least one lowercase alphabetic character for passwords. If it does not, this is a finding.

Fix Text

Configure the system to require at least one lowercase alphabetic character for passwords.

Additional Identifiers

Rule ID: SV-25952r1_rule

Vulnerability ID: V-22305

Group Title: GEN000610

Expert Comments

CCIs tied to check.

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