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V-252520

CAT II (Medium)

The macOS system must enforce password complexity by requiring that at least one numeric character be used.

Rule ID

SV-252520r982197_rule

STIG

Apple macOS 12 (Monterey) Security Technical Implementation Guide

Version

V1R9

CCIs

CCI-000194

Discussion

Use of a complex password helps to increase the time and resources required to compromise the password. Password complexity, or strength, is a measure of the effectiveness of a password in resisting attempts at guessing and brute-force attacks. Password complexity is one factor of several that determines how long it takes to crack a password. The more complex the password, the greater the number of possible combinations that need to be tested before the password is compromised.

Check Content

To check the currently applied policies for passwords and accounts, use the following command:

/usr/sbin/system_profiler SPConfigurationProfileDataType | /usr/bin/grep requireAlphanumeric

If the return is not "requireAlphanumeric = 1", this is a finding.

Fix Text

This setting is enforced using the "Passcode Policy" configuration profile.