Cis Ubuntu1204 V110 10 1 3

10.1.3 Set Password Expiring Warning Days (Scored)

Profile Applicability

• Level 1

Description

The PASS_WARN_AGE parameter in /etc/login.defs allows an administrator to notify users that their password will expire in a defined number of days. It is recommended that the PASS_WARN_AGE parameter be set to 7 or more days.

Rationale

Providing an advance warning that a password will be expiring gives users time to think of a secure password. Users caught unaware may choose a simple password or write it down where it may be discovered.

Audit Procedure

Using Command Line

grep PASS_WARN_AGE /etc/login.defs
# Expected output: PASS_WARN_AGE 7

chage --list <user>
# Verify: Number of days of warning before password expires: 7

Expected Result

PASS_WARN_AGE is set to 7 or more in /etc/login.defs, and all active users have a password warning age of 7 days or more.

Remediation

Using Command Line

Set the PASS_WARN_AGE parameter to 7 in /etc/login.defs:

# Edit /etc/login.defs and set:
PASS_WARN_AGE 7

# Modify active user parameters to match:
chage --warndays 7 <user>

Default Value

PASS_WARN_AGE 7

References

• CIS Ubuntu 12.04 LTS Server Benchmark v1.1.0

Profile

Level 1 - Scored