SV-278039r1180823: Windows Server 2025 must have the built-in Windows password complexity policy enabled. | Microsoft Windows Server 2025 STIG SCAP Benchmark

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Assessment Title

Rule Text

Windows Server 2025 must have the built-in Windows password complexity policy enabled.

Description

Discussion Text

The use of complex passwords increases their strength against attack. The built-in Windows password complexity policy requires passwords to contain at least three of the four types of characters (numbers, uppercase and lowercase letters, and special characters) and prevents the inclusion of user names or parts of user names. Satisfies: SRG-OS-000069-GPOS-00037, SRG-OS-000070-GPOS-00038, SRG-OS-000071-GPOS-00039, SRG-OS-000266-GPOS-00101

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

IA Controls

NIST SP 800-53

Not mappedCCI-004066

References

DPMS Target Microsoft Windows Server 2025 DISA DPMS Target Microsoft Windows Server 2025 5719

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.windows2025:def:278039
# Windows Server 2025 must have the built-in Windows password complexity policy 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_server_2025 target this check assesses.

# OVAL Definition: oval:mil.disa.stig.windows2025:def:278039
$passwordPolicy = Get-ItemProperty -Path 'HKLM:\Software\Microsoft\Windows NT\CurrentVersion\PasswordComplexity'
if ($null -eq $passwordPolicy.ComplexPasswordRequired -or $passwordPolicy.ComplexPasswordRequired -ne 1) { Write-Output "FAIL"; exit 1 } else { Write-Output "PASS"; exit 0 }

Remediation

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