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V-220480

CAT II (Medium)

The Cisco switch must be configured to enforce the limit of three consecutive invalid logon attempts, after which time it must disconnect the session.

Rule ID

SV-220480r960840_rule

STIG

Cisco NX OS Switch NDM Security Technical Implementation Guide

Version

V3R6

CCIs

CCI-000044

Discussion

By limiting the number of failed logon attempts, the risk of unauthorized system access via user password guessing, otherwise known as brute-forcing, is reduced.

Check Content

Review the Cisco switch configuration to verify that it enforces the limit of three consecutive invalid logon attempts as shown in the example below:

ssh login-attempts 3

If the Cisco switch is not configured to enforce the limit of three consecutive invalid logon attempts, this is a finding.

NOTE: The NX-OS switch does not lock out the account, it disconnects the session. The AAA server will lock out the user account on three failed attempts.

Fix Text

Configure the Cisco switch to enforce the limit of three consecutive invalid logon attempts as shown in the example below:

SW2(config)# ssh login-attempts 3