STIGQter STIGQter: STIG Summary: VMware vSphere 8.0 vCenter Appliance Photon OS 4.0 Security Technical Implementation Guide Version: 2 Release: 2 Benchmark Date: 01 Jul 2026:

The Photon operating system must not allow empty passwords.

DISA Rule

SV-266063r1003661_rule

Vulnerability Number

V-266063

Group Title

SRG-OS-000480-GPOS-00226

Rule Version

PHTN-40-000247

Severity

CAT II

CCI(s)

Weight

10

Fix Recommendation

Navigate to and open:

/etc/pam.d/system-password or /etc/pam.d/system-auth

Remove the "nullok" argument on the "pam_unix.so" module line.

Note: On vCenter appliances, the equivalent file must be edited under "/etc/applmgmt/appliance", if one exists, for the changes to persist after a reboot.

Check Contents

At the command line, run the following command to verify empty passwords are not allowed:

# grep nullok /etc/pam.d/system-password /etc/pam.d/system-auth

If any results are returned indicating "nullok" is configured on the "pam_unix.so" module, this is a finding.

Vulnerability Number

V-266063

Documentable

False

Rule Version

PHTN-40-000247

Severity Override Guidance

At the command line, run the following command to verify empty passwords are not allowed:

# grep nullok /etc/pam.d/system-password /etc/pam.d/system-auth

If any results are returned indicating "nullok" is configured on the "pam_unix.so" module, this is a finding.

Check Content Reference

M

Target Key

5569