Authentication, Authorization, and Accounting Configuration Guide, Cisco IOS Release 15SY
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Password Strength and Management for Common Criteria
The Password Strength and Management for Common Criteria feature is used to specify password policies and security mechanisms
for storing, retrieving, and providing rules to specify user passwords.
For local users, the user profile and the password information with the key parameters are stored on the Cisco device, and
this profile is used for local authentication of users. The user can be an administrator (terminal access) or a network user
(for example, PPP users being authenticated for network access).
For remote users, where the user profile information is stored in a remote server, a third-party authentication, authorization,
and accounting (AAA) server may be used for providing AAA services, both for administrative and network access.
Finding Feature Information
Your software release may not support all the features documented in this module. For the latest caveats and feature information,
see Bug Search Tool and the release notes for your platform and software release. To find information about the features documented in this module,
and to see a list of the releases in which each feature is supported, see the feature information table.
Use Cisco Feature Navigator to find information about platform support and Cisco software image support. To access Cisco Feature
Navigator, go to www.cisco.com/go/cfn. An account on Cisco.com is not required.
Restrictions for Password Strength and Management for Common Criteria
Only four concurrent users can log on to the system by using vty at any moment.
The aaa common-criteria policy command is unavailable when the switch runs on IP Services license or Advanced IP Services license. However, when the switch
runs on Advanced Enterprise Services license, the command works as expected. This limitation is applicable to release Cisco
IOS XE 15.2(1)SY2 of Cisco Catalyst 6500 Series Switches.
Information About Password Strength and Management for Common Criteria
Password Composition Policy
The password composition policy allows you to create passwords of any combination of upper and lowercase characters, numbers,
and special characters that include “!”, “@”, “#”, “$”, “%”,“^”, “&”, “*”, “(“, and “)”.
Password Length Policy
The administrator has the flexibility to set the password's minimum and maximum length. The recommended minimum password
length is 8 characters. The administrator can specify both the minimum (1) and the maximum (64) length for the password.
Password Lifetime Policy
The security administrator can provide a configurable option for a password to have a maximum lifetime. If the lifetime parameter
is not configured, the configured password will never expire. The maximum lifetime can be configured by providing the configurable
value in years, months, days, hours, minutes, and seconds. The lifetime configuration will survive across reloads as it is
a part of the configuration, but every time the system reboots, the password creation time will be updated to the new time.
For example, if a password is configured with a lifetime of one month and on the 29th day, the system reboots, then the password
will be valid for one month after the system reboots.
Password Expiry Policy
If the user attempts to log on and if the user's password credentials have expired, then the following happens:
The user is prompted to set the new password after successfully entering the expired password.
When the user enters the new password, the password is validated against the password security policy.
If the new password matches the password security policy, then the AAA database is updated, and the user is authenticated
with the new password.
If the new password does not match the password security policy, then the user is prompted again for the password. From AAA
perspective, there is no restriction on the number of retries. The number of retries for password prompt in case of unsuccessful
authentication is controlled by the respective terminal access interactive module. For example, for telnet, after three unsuccessful
attempts, the session will be terminated.
If the password's lifetime is not configured for a user and the user has already logged on and if the security administrator
configures the lifetime for that user, then the lifetime will be set in the database. When the same user is authenticated
the next time, the system will check for password expiry. The password expiry is checked only during the authentication phase.
If the user has been already authenticated and logged on to the system and if the password expires, then no action will be
taken. The user will be prompted to change the password only during the next authentication for the same user.
Password Change Policy
The new password must contain a minimum of 4 character changes from the previous password. A password change can be triggered
by the following scenarios:
The security administrator wants to change the password.
The user is trying to get authenticated using a profile, and the password for that profile has expired.
When the security administrator changes the password security policy and the existing profile does not meet the password
security policy rules, no action will be taken if the user has already logged on to the system. The user will be prompted
to change the password only when the user tries to get authenticated using the profile that does not meet the password security
restriction.
When the user changes the password, the lifetime parameters set by the security administrator for the old profile will be
the lifetime parameters for the new password.
For noninteractive clients such as dot1x, when the password expires, appropriate error messages will be sent to the clients,
and the clients must contact the security administrator to renew the password.
User Reauthentication Policy
Users are reauthenticated when they change their passwords.
When users change their passwords on expiry, they will be authenticated against the new password. In such cases, the actual
authentication happens based on the previous credentials, and the new password is updated in the database.
Note
Users can change their passwords only when they are logging on and after the expiry of the old password; however, a security
administrator can change the user's password at any time.
Support for Framed (noninteractive) Session
When a client such as dot1x uses the local database for authentication, the Password Strength and Management for Common Criteria
feature will be applicable; however, upon password expiry, clients will not be able to change the password. An appropriate
failure message will be sent to such clients, and the user must request the security administrator to change the password.
How to Configure
Password Strength and Management for Common Criteria
Configuring the Password Security Policy
Perform this task to create a password security policy and to apply the policy to a specific user profile.
(Optional) Applies a specific policy and password to a user profile.
Step 12
end
Example:
Device(config)# end
Returns to privileged EXEC mode.
Verifying the Common Criteria Policy
Perform this task to verify all the common criteria security policies.
SUMMARY STEPS
enable
show aaa common-criteria policy name policy-name
show aaa common-criteria policy all
DETAILED STEPS
Step 1
enable
Enables privileged EXEC mode.
Example:
Device> enable
Step 2
show aaa common-criteria policy name policy-name
Displays the password security policy information for a specific policy.
Example:
Device# show aaa common-criteria policy name policy1
Policy name: policy1
Minimum length: 1
Maximum length: 64
Upper Count: 20
Lower Count: 20
Numeric Count: 5
Special Count: 2
Number of character changes 4
Valid forever. User tied to this policy will not expire.
Step 3
show aaa common-criteria policy all
Displays password security policy information for all the configured policies.
Example:
Device# show aaa common-criteria policy all
====================================================================
Policy name: policy1
Minimum length: 1
Maximum length: 64
Upper Count: 20
Lower Count: 20
Numeric Count: 5
Special Count: 2
Number of character changes 4
Valid forever. User tied to this policy will not expire.
====================================================================
Policy name: policy2
Minimum length: 1
Maximum length: 34
Upper Count: 10
Lower Count: 5
Numeric Count: 4
Special Count: 2
Number of character changes 2
Valid forever. User tied to this policy will not expire.
=====================================================================
Troubleshooting Tips
Use the
debug aaa common-criteria command to troubleshoot AAA common criteria.
Configuration Example for the Password Strength and Management for Common Criteria Feature
Example: Password Strength and Management for Common Criteria
The following example shows how to create a common criteria security policy and apply the specific policy to a user profile:
No new or modified standards are supported by this feature, and support for existing standards has not been modified by this
feature.
--
MIBs
MIB
MIBs Link
No new or modified MIBs are supported by this feature, and support for existing MIBs has not been modified by this feature.
To locate and download MIBs for selected platforms, Cisco IOS XE software releases, and feature sets, use Cisco MIB Locator
found at the following URL:
The Cisco Support website provides extensive online resources, including documentation and tools for troubleshooting and
resolving technical issues with Cisco products and technologies.
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Alert Tool (accessed from Field Notices), the Cisco Technical Services Newsletter, and Really Simple Syndication (RSS) Feeds.
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Feature Information for
Password Strength and Management for Common Criteria
The following table provides release information about the feature or features described in this module. This table lists
only the software release that introduced support for a given feature in a given software release train. Unless noted otherwise,
subsequent releases of that software release train also support that feature.
Use Cisco Feature Navigator to find information about platform support and Cisco software image support. To access Cisco
Feature Navigator, go to www.cisco.com/go/cfn. An account on Cisco.com is not required.
Table 1. Feature Information for
Password Strength and Management for Common Criteria
Feature Name
Releases
Feature
Information
Password
Strength and Management for Common Criteria
Cisco IOS 15.1(1)SY
The Password
Strength and Management for Common Criteria feature is used to specify password
policies and security mechanisms for storing, retrieving, and providing rules
to specify user passwords.
The following commands were introduced or modified: aaa common-criteria policy , debug aaa common-criteria , and show aaa common-criteria policy .
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