Title

Windows Server 2016 accounts must require passwords. (Cat II impact)

Discussion

The lack of password protection enables anyone to gain access to the information system, which opens a backdoor opportunity for intruders to compromise the system as well as other resources. Accounts on a system must require passwords.

Check Content

Review the password required status for enabled user accounts. Open "PowerShell". Domain Controllers: Enter "Get-Aduser -Filter * -Properties Passwordnotrequired |FT Name, Passwordnotrequired, Enabled". Exclude disabled accounts (e.g., DefaultAccount, Guest) and Trusted Domain Objects (TDOs). If "Passwordnotrequired" is "True" or blank for any enabled user account, this is a finding. Member servers and standalone or nondomain-joined systems: Enter 'Get-CimInstance -Class Win32_Useraccount -Filter "PasswordRequired=False and LocalAccount=True" | FT Name, PasswordRequired, Disabled, LocalAccount'. Exclude disabled accounts (e.g., DefaultAccount, Guest). If any enabled user accounts are returned with a "PasswordRequired" status of "False", this is a finding.

Fix Text

Configure all enabled user accounts to require passwords. The password required flag can be set by entering the following on a command line: "Net user [username] /passwordreq:yes", substituting [username] with the name of the user account.

Additional Identifiers

Rule ID: SV-224838r857232_rule

Vulnerability ID: V-224838

Group Title: SRG-OS-000104-GPOS-00051

Expert Comments

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