← Back to General Purpose Operating System Security Requirements Guide

V-203634

CAT II (Medium)

The operating system must enforce a minimum 15-character password length.

Rule ID

SV-203634r982202_rule

STIG

General Purpose Operating System Security Requirements Guide

Version

V3R3

CCIs

CCI-004066

Discussion

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

Check Content

Verify the operating system enforces a minimum 15-character password length. If it does not, this is a finding.

Fix Text

Configure the operating system to enforce a minimum 15-character password length.