SV-220746r1051023: The built-in Microsoft password complexity filter must be enabled. | Microsoft Windows 10 STIG SCAP Benchmark

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Assessment Title

Rule Text

The built-in Microsoft password complexity filter must be enabled.

Description

Discussion Text

The use of complex passwords increases their strength against guessing and brute-force attacks. This setting configures the system to verify that newly created passwords conform to the Windows password complexity policy.

How this relates to the STIG checklist: STIG vs SCAP benchmark.

IA Controls

NIST SP 800-53

Not mappedCCI-000192Not mappedCCI-000193Not mappedCCI-000194Not mappedCCI-001619SV-77917V-63427

References

DPMS Target Microsoft Windows 10 DISA DPMS Target Microsoft Windows 10 4072

SCC Automation Reference

The reconstructed evaluation script behind this rule's OVAL check(s) — every module a compound check combines, with this rule's own concrete values and DISA's SCC tool's real per-module mechanism curated from static teardown of SCC releases.

# Windows PowerShell
# Reconstructed from oval:mil.disa.stig.windows10:def:220746
# The built-in Microsoft password complexity filter must be enabled.
# Per-module read mechanism curated from static teardown of DISA's SCC tool
# (SCAP Compliance Checker) -- see the SCC Automation Reference above.

# passwordpolicy_object (passwordpolicy_test)
function test_1 {
  return (($__tmp = "$env:TEMP\scc_securitypolicy_$([guid]::NewGuid().Guid).cfg"; secedit /export /cfg $__tmp /areas SECURITYPOLICY /quiet | Out-Null; $__m = Select-String -Path $__tmp -Pattern '^PasswordComplexity\s*=\s*(\d+)'; Remove-Item $__tmp -ErrorAction SilentlyContinue; if ($__m) { $__m.Matches[0].Groups[1].Value.Trim() } else { '' }) -eq '1')
}

if (test_1) {
  Write-Output "PASS"
} else {
  Write-Output "FAIL"
}

Assessment Script Powered by AISyntax-verified

A standalone PowerShell script to assess this control automatically. Review before running it in your environment.

Syntax-checked as valid PowerShell. Not executed here — running it for real needs the actual ms_windows_10 target this check assesses.

# OVAL Definition: oval:mil.disa.stig.windows10:def:220746
$passwordPolicy = Get-CimInstance -ClassName Win32_LocalUser -Filter "LocalAccount=True"
if ($passwordPolicy -ne $null) {
    $policy = Get-ItemProperty -Path 'HKLM:\System\CurrentControlSet\Control\Lsa\' -Name 'PasswordComplexityRequirements' -ErrorAction SilentlyContinue
    if ($policy -ne $null -and $policy.PasswordComplexityRequirements -eq 1) {
        Write-Output "PASS"; exit 0
    }
}
Write-Output "FAIL"; exit 1

Remediation

Configure the policy value for Computer Configuration >> Windows Settings >> Security Settings >> Account Policies >> Password Policy >> "Password must meet complexity requirements" to "Enabled".