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Configuring password control
Overview
Password control refers to a set of functions provided by the device to manage login and super password
setup, expirations, and updates for device management users, and to control user login status based on
predefined policies.
Local users are divided into two types: device management users and network access users. This feature
applies only to device management users. For more information about local users, see "
Password setting
Minimum password length
You can define the minimum length of user passwords. If a user enters a password that is shorter than the
minimum length, the system rejects the password.
Password composition policy
A password can be a combination of characters from the following types:
•
Uppercase letters A to Z.
•
Lowercase letters a to z.
•
Digits 0 to 9.
•
Special characters. For information about special characters, see the
password-control composition
command in
Security Command Reference
.
Depending on the system's security requirements, you can set the minimum number of character types a
password must contain and the minimum number of characters for each type as shown in
Table 7
Password composition policy
Password combination
level
Minimum number of
character types
Minimum number of characters for
each type
Level 1
One
One
Level 2
Two
One
Level 3
Three
One
Level 4
Four
One
In non-FIPS mode, all the combination levels are available for a password. In FIPS mode, only the level
4 combination is available for a password.
When a user sets or changes a password, the system checks if the password meets the combination
requirement. If the password does not meet the requirement, the operation fails.