AUTH-9262 - PAM password strengthening tools

This information is provided as part of the Lynis community project. It is related to Lynis control AUTH-9262 and should be considered as-is and without guarantees. Any advice and commands should be tested before implementing them in production environments.

Control details
CategoryAuthentication
Application

Description

Several modules within the PAM framework can help restricting access to facilities to only authorized people, including limitations as a strong password, the right console, or the right software. Passwords should be protected and strengthened where possible. On Unix and Linux based systems this is usually done via PAM modules and the related configuration files. Examples include tools like passwdqc (password quality control) and cracklib (password cracking library).

How to solve

Install a PAM module like passwdqc or cracklib.

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Lynis is a technical security auditing tool for Unix flavors like Linux, macOS, AIX, Solaris, and *BSD. It is open source software and free to use. Typical usage include system hardening, compliance testing, and vulnerability scanning. The project has an active community, including development via GitHub.

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