cis-ubuntu2004-v300-5-3-3-3-1

DevOps & Security

Ensure password history remember is configured

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5.3.3.3.1 Ensure password history remember is configured (Automated)

Profile Applicability

Level 1 - Server
Level 1 - Workstation

Description

The /etc/security/opasswd file stores the users' old passwords and can be checked to ensure that users are not recycling recent passwords. The number of passwords remembered is set via the remember argument value in set for the pam_pwhistory module.

remember= - is the number of old passwords to remember

Rationale

Requiring users not to reuse their passwords make it less likely that an attacker will be able to guess the password or use a compromised password.

Note: These change only apply to accounts configured on the local system.

Audit Procedure

Command Line

Run the following command and verify:

The pwhistory line in /etc/pam.d/common-password includes remember=<N>
The value of is 24 or more
The value meets local site policy

# grep -Psi -- '^\h*password\h+[^#\n\r]+\h+pam_pwhistory\.so\h+([^#\n\r]+\h+)?remember=\d+\h' /etc/pam.d/common-password

Expected Result

Output should be similar to:

password   requisite   pam_pwhistory.so remember=24 enforce_for_root use_authtok

Remediation

Command Line

Run the following command:

# awk '/Password-Type:/{ f = 1;next } /-Type:/{ f = 0 } f {if (/pam_pwhistory\.so/) print FILENAME}' /usr/share/pam-configs/*

Edit any returned files and edit or add the remember= argument, with a value of 24 or more, that meets local site policy to the pam_pwhistory line in the Password section:

Example File:

Name: pwhistory password history checking
Default: yes
Priority: 1024
Password-Type: Primary
Password:
   requisite   pam_pwhistory.so remember=24 enforce_for_root use_authtok # <- **ensure line includes remember=<N>**

Run the following command to update the files in the /etc/pam.d/ directory:

# pam-auth-update --enable <MODIFIED_PROFILE_NAME>

Example:

# pam-auth-update --enable pwhistory

References

NIST SP 800-53 Rev. 5: IA-5(1)

CIS Controls

Controls Version	Control	IG 1	IG 2	IG 3
v8	5.2 Use Unique Passwords	*	*	*
v7	4.4 Use Unique Passwords		*	*

MITRE ATT&CK Mappings

Techniques / Sub-techniques	Tactics	Mitigations
T1078, T1078.001, T1078.002, T1078.003, T1078.004, T1110, T1110.004