Vulnerability Discussion

The macOS must be configured to enforce a lockout time period of at least 15 minutes when the maximum number of failed logon attempts is reached.

This rule protects against malicious users attempting to gain access to the system via brute-force hacking methods.

Satisfies: SRG-OS-000021-GPOS-00005,SRG-OS-000329-GPOS-00128

Check

Verify the macOS system is configured to set account lockout time to 15 minutes with the following command:

/usr/bin/pwpolicy -getaccountpolicies 2> /dev/null | /usr/bin/tail +2 | /usr/bin/xmllint --xpath '//dict/key[text()="autoEnableInSeconds"]/following-sibling::integer[1]/text()' - | /usr/bin/awk '{ if ($1/60 >= 15 ) {print "yes"} else {print "no"}}'

If the result is not "yes", this is a finding.

Fix

Configure the macOS system to set account lockout time to 15 minutes by installing the "com.apple.mobiledevice.passwordpolicy" configuration profile or by a directory service.