23
Table 12 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
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.
Password complexity checking policy
A weak password such as a password that contains the username or repeated characters is easy to
be cracked. For higher security, you can configure a password complexity checking policy to ensure
that all user passwords are complex enough to be secure. With such a policy configured, the system
checks password complexity when a user configures a password. If the password is
complexity-incompliant, the configuration will fail.
You can apply the following password complexity requirements:
•
A password cannot contain the username or the reverse of the username. For example, if the
username is abc, a password such as abc982 or 2cba is not complex enough.
•
A character or number cannot be included three or more times consecutively. For example,
password a111 is not complex enough.
Password updating
This feature allows you to set the minimum interval at which users can change their passwords. If a
user logs in to change the password but the time passed since the last change is less than this
interval, the system denies the request. For example, if you set this interval to 48 hours, a user
cannot change the password twice within 48 hours.
The set minimum interval is not effective when a user is prompted to change the password at the first
login or after its password aging time expires.
Password expiration
Password expiration imposes a lifecycle on a user password. After the password expires, the user
needs to change the password.
If a user enters an expired password when logging in, the system displays an error message. The
user is prompted to provide a new password and to confirm it by entering it again. The new password
must be valid, and the user must enter exactly the same password when confirming it.
Telnet users, SSH users, and console users can change their own passwords. The administrator
must change passwords for FTP users.
Early notice on pending password expiration
When a user logs in, the system checks whether the password will expire in a time equal to or less
than the specified notification period. If so, the system notifies the user when the password will expire
and provides a choice for the user to change the password. If the user sets a new password that is
complexity-compliant, the system records the new password and the setup time. If the user chooses
not to change the password or the user fails to change it, the system allows the user to log in using
the current password.
Telnet users, SSH users, and console users can change their own passwords. The administrator
must change passwords for FTP users.
