Rule: Ensure IAM password policy requires a minimum length of 14 or greater
This rule ensures the IAM password policy mandates a minimum length of 14 characters or more.
| Rule | Ensure IAM password policy requires a minimum length of 14 or greater |
| Framework | NIST 800-53 Revision 5 |
| Severity | ✔ Critical |
Rule Description
The IAM password policy should be configured to require a minimum length of 14 characters or greater to meet the security requirements outlined in NIST 800-53 Revision 5. By enforcing this rule, it ensures that user passwords are sufficiently long, making it harder for attackers to guess or brute-force them.
Troubleshooting Steps
If the IAM password policy is not meeting the requirement of a minimum length of 14 characters, you can follow these troubleshooting steps:
- 1.
Verify IAM Password Policy: Check the current IAM password policy by logging in to the AWS Management Console and navigating to the IAM service. From there, select the account you want to manage and go to the "Password Policy" section. Ensure that the minimum password length is set to 14 or greater.
- 2.
Update Password Policy: If the minimum password length is not set correctly, update the password policy to meet the requirement. Make the necessary changes and save the policy.
- 3.
Verify Policy Enforcement: Ensure that the newly updated password policy is being enforced correctly. You can test this by attempting to create a new IAM user or change the password of an existing user with a password length below 14 characters. The system should deny such attempts and enforce the minimum length requirement.
Necessary Code
To enforce a minimum password length of 14 characters in IAM using AWS Command Line Interface (CLI), you can use the following code:
aws iam update-account-password-policy --minimum-password-length 14
This command will update the IAM account-wide password policy to require a minimum password length of 14 characters.
Remember to replace the values and options within the command with appropriate ones specific to your AWS environment.
Step-by-Step Remediation Guide
To enforce a minimum password length of 14 characters or greater in IAM, follow these steps:
- 1.
Open your preferred CLI tool or AWS CLI console.
- 2.
Authenticate with your AWS account credentials, if required.
- 3.
Run the following command to update the password policy with the minimum length of 14 characters:
aws iam update-account-password-policy --minimum-password-length 14
- 1.
Verify that the command executes without any errors and returns the updated account password policy.
- 2.
Validate the updated password policy by attempting to create a new IAM user or change the password of an existing user with a password length below 14 characters. The system should reject such attempts and enforce the minimum length requirement.
- 3.
If needed, inform your users about the updated password policy and educate them on the importance of using strong passwords.
By following these steps, you will successfully enforce a minimum password length of 14 characters or greater in the IAM policy, fulfilling the requirements of NIST 800-53 Revision 5.