How do you implement and enforce a password policy for your system users?

1 Why a password policy matters

A password policy matters because it can reduce the risk of common password-related attacks, such as brute force, dictionary, phishing, and credential stuffing. These attacks exploit weak, reused, or compromised passwords to gain access to your system and its resources. A password policy can also help you comply with regulatory and industry standards, such as PCI DSS, HIPAA, or NIST, that require certain levels of password security and protection.

2 How to design a password policy

When designing a password policy, you should consider your system's needs, goals, and threats. Generally speaking, passwords should be between 8 to 16 characters long and contain a mix of uppercase and lowercase letters, numbers, and symbols. Common or predictable passwords should be prohibited, as well as the reuse of previous passwords. Additionally, passwords should have an expiration date of 90 days and a lockout mechanism for failed login attempts after 5 attempts. Finally, users should be educated and trained on how to create and use strong and secure passwords.

3 How to implement a password policy

Implementing a password policy can be done with various tools and methods, depending on your system's platform, environment, and configuration. For instance, you can use the Local Security Policy or Group Policy Editor on Windows systems to configure and apply password policies to local or domain accounts. Additionally, you can use the passwd or chage commands on Linux systems to modify and enforce password policies for individual or group accounts. Furthermore, the PAM (Pluggable Authentication Modules) framework on Linux systems can be used to customize and control password policies for different services and applications. Microsoft systems such as Active Directory or Azure AD can help manage and enforce password policies for cloud or hybrid environments. Finally, AWS IAM or Google Cloud IAM on cloud systems are able to define and apply password policies for cloud users and roles.

4 How to monitor and audit a password policy

It is important to regularly monitor and audit your password policy to ensure its effectiveness and compliance. To do this, you can use a variety of tools and techniques, such as the Event Viewer or Audit Policy on Windows systems to track password-related events, the /var/log/secure or /var/log/auth.log files on Linux systems to record password-related activities, the Password Policy Tester or Password Auditor on Windows or Linux systems to scan password strength and security, the Active Directory Administrative Center or Azure AD Portal on Microsoft systems to view and report on password policy settings, and the AWS CloudTrail or Google Cloud Logging on cloud systems to capture password policy actions.

5 How to improve and update a password policy

It's important to periodically improve and update your password policy to stay current with the changing security landscape and user behavior. To do this, you should review and evaluate your policy performance, feedback, and issues. Additionally, research and adopt the latest password policy standards and recommendations, such as NIST SP 800-63B or CIS Password Policy Guide. Before deploying any changes, test and validate their impacts. Additionally, make sure to communicate and educate users on the changes and benefits. Finally, measure and report on the outcomes and improvements of your policy.

6 Here’s what else to consider

This is a space to share examples, stories, or insights that don’t fit into any of the previous sections. What else would you like to add?