TMA-AIX-5.2.10

Ensure number of characters changed in new password is configured

HighLevel 1Automatedaix

Description

The mindiff option sets the number of characters in a password that must not be present in the old password. 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. Audit: reads `lssec -f /etc/security/user -s default -a mindiff`.

How it is checked

Audit method: Shell command

shell

command -v lssec >/dev/null 2>&1 || exit 1; out=$(lssec -f /etc/security/user -s default -a mindiff 2>/dev/null) || exit 1; v=$(printf '%s\n' "$out" | sed -n 's/.*mindiff=\([^ ]*\).*/\1/p'); if [ -n "$v" ] && [ "$v" -ge 6 ]; then echo compliant; else echo "mindiff=$v"; fi

Expected output: compliant

How it is fixed

Fix method: Shell command

shell

chsec -f /etc/security/user -s default -a mindiff=6

Properties

Operating systems: Any
Tags: aixpassword-policy
Reference: CIS IBM AIX 7 Benchmark v1.2.0 - 5.2.10 Ensure number of characters changed in new password is configured

Check this host

Run this on a machine you are allowed to audit. The scan is read-only.

shell

tmaegis scan --target aix