Overview
  1. 03.01: Access Control
  2. 03.02: Awareness and Training
  3. 03.03: Audit and Accountability
  4. 03.04: Configuration Management
  5. 03.05: Identification and Authentication
  6. 03.06: Incident Response
  7. 03.07: Maintenance
  8. 03.08: Media Protection
  9. 03.09: Personnel Security
  10. 03.10: Physical Protection
  11. 03.11: Risk Assessment
  12. 03.12: Security Assessment
  13. 03.13: System and Communications Protection
  14. 03.14: System and Information Integrity

Security Requirements for 03.05.07 Password Complexity

This requirement applies to single-factor authentication of individuals using passwords as individual or group authenticators, and in a similar manner, when passwords are used as part of multifactor authenticators. The number of changed characters refers to the number of changes required with respect to the total number of positions in the current password. To mitigate certain brute force attacks against passwords, organizations may also consider salting passwords.

Assessment GuidanceExamine 0/8

How an assessor determines this requirement is met. Source: CMMC Assessment Guide – Level 2, Version 2.13 (NIST SP 800-171 Rev. 2).

Discussion

Password complexity means using different types of characters as well as a specified number of characters. This applies to both the creation of new passwords and the modification of existing passwords. Characters to manage complexity include numbers, lowercase and uppercase letters, and symbols. Minimum complexity requirements are left up to the organization to define. Define the lowest level of password complexity required. Define the number of characters that must be changed when an existing password is changed. Enforce these rules for all passwords. Salting passwords adds a string of random characters (salt) to a password prior to hashing. This ensures the randomness of the resulting hash value.

Examples

  1. Example 1

    You work with management to define password complexity rules and ensure they are listed in the company’s security policy. You define and enforce a minimum number of characters for each password and ensure that a certain number of characters must be changed when updating passwords [a, b]. Characters include numbers, lowercase and uppercase letters, and symbols [a]. These rules help create hard-to-guess passwords, which help to secure your network.

Assessment Methods

Examine
The process of reviewing, inspecting, observing, studying, or analyzing assessment objects (e.g., policies, procedures, plans, system designs, mechanisms) to facilitate understanding, achieve clarification, or obtain evidence.Example: An assessor reads the access control policy and inspects system configuration settings to confirm they match.

Not all of the evidence listed is required to meet this requirement — check the items your organization has collected.

Interview
The process of holding discussions with individuals or groups within an organization to facilitate understanding, achieve clarification, or identify the location of evidence.Example: An assessor asks a system administrator to describe how user accounts are approved, reviewed, and disabled.
  • Personnel with authenticator management responsibilities
  • Personnel with information security responsibilities
  • System or network administrators
Test
The process of exercising assessment objects (e.g., activities, mechanisms) under specified conditions to compare actual behavior with expected behavior.Example: An assessor attempts to sign in with a disabled account to confirm that access is denied.
  • Mechanisms supporting or implementing authenticator management capability

Potential Assessment Considerations

  • Is a degree of complexity specified for passwords, (e.g., are account passwords a minimum of 12 characters and a mix of upper/lower case, numbers, and special characters), including minimum requirements for each type [a, b, c]?
  • Is a change of characters required when new passwords are created [d]?

Key References

NIST SP 800-171 Rev. 2 3.5.7

Evidence

  1. 03.05.07.a

    Password complexity requirements are defined

  1. 03.05.07.b

    Password change of character requirements are defined

  1. 03.05.07.c

    Minimum password complexity requirements as defined are enforced when new passwords are created

  1. 03.05.07.d

    Minimum password change of character requirements as defined are enforced when new passwords are created