STIGQter: STIG Summary: Red Hat Enterprise Linux 9 Security Technical Implementation Guide Version: 2 Release: 9 Benchmark Date: 01 Jul 2026:

RHEL 9 must enforce password complexity by requiring that at least one special character be used.

DISA Rule

SV-258109r1045220_rule

Vulnerability Number

V-258109

Group Title

SRG-OS-000266-GPOS-00101

Rule Version

RHEL-09-611100

Severity

CAT II

CCI(s)

• CCI-004066 - For password-based authentication, enforce organization-defined composition and complexity rules.

Weight

10

Fix Recommendation

Configure RHEL 9 to enforce password complexity by requiring at least one special character be used by setting the "ocredit" option.

Add or update the following line in the "/etc/security/pwquality.conf" file or a configuration file in the "/etc/security/pwquality.conf.d/" directory to contain the "ocredit" parameter:

ocredit = -1

Check Contents

Verify that RHEL 9 enforces password complexity by requiring at least one special character with the following command:

$ sudo grep ocredit /etc/security/pwquality.conf /etc/security/pwquality.conf.d/*.conf

ocredit = -1

If the value of "ocredit" is a positive number or is commented out, this is a finding.

Vulnerability Number

V-258109

Documentable

False

Rule Version

RHEL-09-611100

Severity Override Guidance

Verify that RHEL 9 enforces password complexity by requiring at least one special character with the following command:

$ sudo grep ocredit /etc/security/pwquality.conf /etc/security/pwquality.conf.d/*.conf

ocredit = -1

If the value of "ocredit" is a positive number or is commented out, this is a finding.

Check Content Reference

M

Target Key

5551