Ensure PAM Enforces Password Requirements - Enforce for root User

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Description

The pam_pwquality module’s enforce_for_root parameter controls requirements for enforcing password complexity for the root user. Enable the enforce_for_root setting in /etc/security/pwquality.conf to require the root user to use complex passwords.

Rationale

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.

Remediation

Shell script

The following script can be run on the host to remediate the issue.

#!/bin/bash

# Remediation is applicable only in certain platforms
if rpm --quiet -q pam; then

if [ -e "/etc/security/pwquality.conf" ] ; then
    
    LC_ALL=C sed -i "/^\s*enforce_for_root/Id" "/etc/security/pwquality.conf"
else
    touch "/etc/security/pwquality.conf"
fi
# make sure file has newline at the end
sed -i -e '$a\' "/etc/security/pwquality.conf"

cp "/etc/security/pwquality.conf" "/etc/security/pwquality.conf.bak"
# Insert at the end of the file
printf '%s\n' "enforce_for_root" >> "/etc/security/pwquality.conf"
# Clean up after ourselves.
rm "/etc/security/pwquality.conf.bak"

else
    >&2 echo 'Remediation is not applicable, nothing was done'
fi

Ansible playbook

The following playbook can be run with Ansible to remediate the issue.

- name: Gather the package facts
  package_facts:
    manager: auto
  tags:
  - CCE-83377-2
  - NIST-800-53-CM-6(a)
  - NIST-800-53-IA-5(1)(a)
  - NIST-800-53-IA-5(4)
  - NIST-800-53-IA-5(c)
  - accounts_password_pam_enforce_root
  - low_complexity
  - low_disruption
  - medium_severity
  - no_reboot_needed
  - restrict_strategy

- name: Ensure PAM Enforces Password Requirements - Enforce for root User
  lineinfile:
    path: /etc/security/pwquality.conf
    create: true
    line: enforce_for_root
    state: present
  when: '"pam" in ansible_facts.packages'
  tags:
  - CCE-83377-2
  - NIST-800-53-CM-6(a)
  - NIST-800-53-IA-5(1)(a)
  - NIST-800-53-IA-5(4)
  - NIST-800-53-IA-5(c)
  - accounts_password_pam_enforce_root
  - low_complexity
  - low_disruption
  - medium_severity
  - no_reboot_needed
  - restrict_strategy