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V-230367

CAT II (Medium)

RHEL 8 user account passwords must be configured so that existing passwords are restricted to a 180-day maximum lifetime.

Rule ID

SV-230367r1262170_rule

STIG

Red Hat Enterprise Linux 8 Security Technical Implementation Guide

Version

V2R9

CCIs

CCI-000199 CCI-004066

Discussion

Any password, no matter how complex, can eventually be cracked. Therefore, passwords need to be changed periodically. If RHEL 8 does not limit the lifetime of passwords and force users to change their passwords, there is the risk that RHEL 8 passwords could be compromised.

Check Content

Check whether the maximum time period for existing passwords is restricted to 180 days with the following commands:

$ sudo awk -F: '$5 > 180 {print $1 " " $5}' /etc/shadow

$ sudo awk -F: '$5 <= 0 {print $1 " " $5}' /etc/shadow

If any results are returned that are not associated with a system account, this is a finding.

Fix Text

Configure noncompliant accounts to enforce a 180-day maximum password lifetime restriction.

$ sudo chage -M 180 [user]