SLES-15-020180 - The SUSE operating system must employ FIPS 140-2-approved cryptographic hashing algorithms for all stored passwords.

Information

The system must use a strong hashing algorithm to store the password. The system must use a sufficient number of hashing rounds to ensure the required level of entropy.

Passwords need to be protected at all times, and encryption is the standard method for protecting passwords. If passwords are not encrypted, they can be plainly read (i.e., clear text) and easily compromised.

Satisfies: SRG-OS-000073-GPOS-00041, SRG-OS-000120-GPOS-00061

Solution

Configure the SUSE operating system to encrypt all stored passwords with a strong cryptographic hash.

Edit/modify the following line in the '/etc/login.defs' file and set 'ENCRYPT_METHOD' to have a value of 'SHA512'.

ENCRYPT_METHOD SHA512

Lock all interactive user accounts not using SHA512 hashing until the passwords can be regenerated.

See Also

https://dl.dod.cyber.mil/wp-content/uploads/stigs/zip/U_SLES_15_V2R1_STIG.zip

Item Details

Category: IDENTIFICATION AND AUTHENTICATION

References: 800-53|IA-7, CAT|II, CCI|CCI-000803, CCI|CCI-004062, Rule-ID|SV-234887r986483_rule, STIG-ID|SLES-15-020180, Vuln-ID|V-234887

Plugin: Unix

Control ID: dac77687697ac9ab794f702ff08357dfc25711ec7fa235dfa9662ae24da11acf