cyberstrikeus Ensure minimum days between password changes is configured
Profile Applicability:
- Level 1 - Server
- Level 1 - Workstation
Assessment Status: Automated
Description
The PASS_MIN_DAYS parameter in /etc/login.defs allows an administrator to prevent users from changing their password until a minimum number of days have passed since the last time the user changed their password. It is recommended that PASS_MIN_DAYS parameter be set to 1 or more days.
Rationale
By restricting the frequency of password changes, an administrator can prevent users from repeatedly changing their password in an attempt to circumvent password reuse controls.
Audit Procedure
Command Line
Run the following command and verify PASS_MIN_DAYS conforms to site policy (no less than 1 day):
grep PASS_MIN_DAYS /etc/login.defs
Expected output:
PASS_MIN_DAYS 1
Run the following command and Review list of users and PAS_MIN_DAYS to Verify that all users' PAS_MIN_DAYS conforms to site policy (no less than 1 day):
awk -F : '(/^[^:]+:[^!*]/ && $4 < 1){print $1 " " $4}' /etc/shadow
Expected Result:
No <user>:<PASS_MIN_DAYS> should be returned.
Remediation
Command Line
Set the PASS_MIN_DAYS parameter to 1 in /etc/login.defs:
PASS_MIN_DAYS 1
Modify user parameters for all users with a password set to match:
chage --mindays 1 <user>
Default Value
PASS_MIN_DAYS 0
References
None
CIS Controls
| Controls Version | Control |
|---|---|
| v6 | 16 Account Monitoring and Control - Account Monitoring and Control |
| v7 | 4.4 Use Unique Passwords - Where multi-factor authentication is not supported (such as local administrator, root, or service accounts), accounts will use passwords that are unique to that system. |
Profile
- Level 1 - Server
- Level 1 - Workstation