STIGQter: STIG Summary: Red Hat Enterprise Linux 8 Security Technical Implementation Guide Version: 2 Release: 8 Benchmark Date: 01 Jul 2026:

The RHEL 8 operating system must not have accounts configured with blank or null passwords.

DISA Rule

SV-251706r1017359_rule

Vulnerability Number

V-251706

Group Title

SRG-OS-000480-GPOS-00227

Rule Version

RHEL-08-010121

Severity

CAT I

CCI(s)

CCI-000366 - Implement the security configuration settings.

Weight

Fix Recommendation

Configure all accounts on the system to have a password or lock the account with the following commands:

Perform a password reset:
$ sudo passwd [username]
Lock an account:
$ sudo passwd -l [username]

Check Contents

Check the "/etc/shadow" file for blank passwords with the following command:

$ sudo awk -F: '!$2 {print $1}' /etc/shadow

If the command returns any results, this is a finding.

Vulnerability Number

V-251706

Documentable

False

Rule Version

RHEL-08-010121

Severity Override Guidance

Check the "/etc/shadow" file for blank passwords with the following command:

$ sudo awk -F: '!$2 {print $1}' /etc/shadow

If the command returns any results, this is a finding.

Check Content Reference

Target Key

2921