TMA-COS-6.2.1
Ensure password fields are not empty
Description
An account with an empty password field means that anybody may log in as that user without providing a password. All accounts must have passwords or be locked to prevent the account from being used by an unauthorized user.
How it is checked
Audit method: Manual review
This recommendation cannot be checked automatically. A scan lists it with these instructions when you pass --include-manual.
Run the following command and verify that no output is returned: # awk -F: '($2 == "" ) { print $1 " does not have a password "}' /etc/shadow
How it is fixed
Fix method: Guidance or infrastructure patch
If any accounts in the /etc/shadow file do not have a password, run the following command to lock the account until it can be determined why it does not have a password: # passwd -l <username> Also, check to see if the account is logged in and investigate what it is being used for to determine if it needs to be forced off.
Properties
- Operating systems
- Any
- Tags
- authcontainer-optimized-oscos
- Reference
- CIS Google Container-Optimized OS Benchmark v1.2.0 - 6.2.1 Ensure password fields are not empty