SV-217123r1015211: The SUSE operating system must employ FIPS 140-2-approved cryptographic hashing algorithms for all stored passwords. | SUSE Linux Enterprise Server 12 STIG SCAP Benchmark

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Assessment Title

Rule Text

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

Description

Discussion Text

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

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

IA Controls

NIST SP 800-53

Not mappedCCI-000803Not mappedCCI-000196Not mappedCCI-004062V-77099SV-91795

References

DPMS Target SUSE Linux Enterprise Server 12 DISA DPMS Target SUSE Linux Enterprise Server 12 4033

Checks

DISA STIG (Manual Reference)

Verify the SUSE operating system requires the shadow password suite configuration be set to encrypt interactive user passwords using a strong cryptographic hash.

Check that the interactive user account passwords are using a strong password hash with the following command:

> sudo cut -d: -f2 /etc/shadow

$6$kcOnRq/5$NUEYPuyL.wghQwWssXRcLRFiiru7f5JPV6GaJhNC2aK5F3PZpE/BCCtwrxRc/AInKMNX3CdMw11m9STiql12f/

Password hashes "!" or "*" indicate inactive accounts not available for logon and are not evaluated. 

If any interactive user password hash does not begin with "$6", this is a finding.

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.

#!/bin/bash
# Reconstructed from oval:mil.disa.stig.sles12:def:115
# The SUSE operating system must employ FIPS 140-2-approved cryptographic hashing algorithms for all stored passwords.
# Per-module read mechanism curated from static teardown of DISA's SCC tool
# (SCAP Compliance Checker) -- see the SCC Automation Reference above.

# No active password hash in /etc/shadow has a prefix other than '$6'.
# textfilecontent54_object (textfilecontent54_test)
test_1() {
  ! ( grep -Pq '^[^:]+:([^:]*):' '/etc/shadow' &>/dev/null )
}

if test_1; then
  echo "PASS"
else
  echo "FAIL"
fi

Assessment Script Powered by AISandbox-executed

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

Syntax-checked and actually executed in an isolated sandbox (not the real system this checks) — confirmed to run without errors.

#!/bin/sh
# OVAL Definition: oval:mil.disa.stig.sles12:def:115
if [ ! -f "/etc/shadow" ]; then echo "PASS"; exit 0; fi
if grep -q '^[^:]+:[^:]*:' /etc/shadow; then echo "FAIL"; exit 1; fi
if grep -q '^[^:]+:[^:]*:[0-9]*:' /etc/shadow; then echo "FAIL"; exit 1; fi
echo "PASS"
exit 0

Remediation

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.