A new password may differ from the old by fewer than 3 characters
At a glance
Base severity
Area
Platform
Evidence level
Benchmark reference
Reads the export, not the device
ConfigProof reads a configuration export. This control is evaluated against the objects in that file, and it reports what the file says. It does not connect to the device and sees no traffic, so a finding here describes the configuration, not what the firewall is doing right now.
Why it matters
A new password one character away from the last is the old password to anyone who knew it.
How to fix it
Web interface
The steps below are written for the web interface. A finding raised on your own export carries the same steps with your object names filled in.
- Enable minimum password complexity and set New Password Differs By Characters to 3 or more.
Command line
PAN-OS CLI
set mgt-config password-complexity enabled yesset mgt-config password-complexity new-password-differs-by-characters 3
An example. Values in angle brackets are yours to supply; a finding on your own export fills in the names it read. Nothing here commits. Review the candidate configuration, then commit it yourself.
Read it back
show mgt-config password-complexityHow to confirm the fix
- Reopen Device, Setup, Management, Minimum Password Complexity and confirm the value.
- Change a test administrator's password and confirm a weaker one is refused.
Limits
- Applies to local administrator passwords only; accounts that authenticate against RADIUS, LDAP, TACACS+ or SAML follow the server's policy.
- On a Panorama each template stack is judged as its firewalls receive it: its own settings first, then its members in order. A stack holding a template this file lacks is recorded rather than passed.
Compliance references
CIS Palo Alto Firewall 11 Benchmark v1.2.0
Covers the whole recommendation
Where a control aligns with a recommendation of the CIS Palo Alto Firewall 11 Benchmark v1.2.0, that recommendation is cited as a reference. Only that version was checked. A reference is not a certification.
More in Administrators and Access
- PAN-SEC-121Passwords need no lowercase letter
- PAN-SEC-122Passwords need no digit
- PAN-SEC-123Passwords need no special character
- PAN-SEC-124Passwords do not expire within 90 days
- PAN-SEC-126Fewer than 24 previous passwords are blocked from reuse
- PAN-SEC-127Password profile expires passwords later than 90 days, or never
- PAN-SEC-128Administrative idle timeout is longer than 10 minutes
- ISE-MGT-001TACACS+ command set permits every command
See it on your own firewall
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