Best Practices for Password Parameters
Setting a Password Policy in AWS IAM
Strong, complex passwords are crucial to your AWS security posture. PCI Requirement 8.2.3 – 8.2.6 provide parameters for PCI-compliant passwords, which include:
- Require a minimum length of at least seven characters
- Contain both numeric and alphabetic characters
- Change user passwords at least every 90 days
- Do not allow reuse of a new password that is the same as any of the last four passwords
- Set temporary passwords for first-time use and for reset request, then change immediately after the first use
You can set custom password parameters by creating a Password Policy in AWS IAM. If your AWS administrator doesn’t set a custom password policy, then AWS will apply a default password policy that requires a minimum length of eight characters and a maximum of 128, a mix of character types, and cannot be identical to the AWS account name or email. For additional password recommendations, see the CIS AWS Foundations Benchmark.
Transcription
Some additional requirements in 8.2 of the PCI Data Security Standard relate to the password parameters that you have in place in your IAM policies. 8.2.3 through 8.2.6 outline the parameters that you need to ensure that you’re meeting, at a minimum. The length of your password has to be at least 7 characters for PCI compliance. The passwords have to be changed every 90 days. You can’t reuse more than 4 passwords. These are things that you can check in our AWS scan. If you haven’t run the scan yet, this is an automatic check to see if you’re in compliance with this policy. You can also refer to the Center for Internet Security AWS Foundations Benchmark because it discusses a lot of these minimum requirements for password parameters that you would want to evaluate for your company. Which standard, what requirements do you want to have to ensure that you’re meeting the requirements of the various frameworks that apply to your organization?
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PCI Requirement 7 – Restrict Access to Cardholder Data by Business Need to Know.mp4
PCI Requirement 7.1 – Limit Access to System Components and Cardholder Data
PCI Requirement 7.1.1 – Define Access Needs for Each Role
PCI Requirement 7.1.2 – Restrict Access to Privileged User IDs to Least Privileges Necessary
PCI Requirement 7.1.3 - Assign access based on individual personnel’s job classification & function
PCI Requirement 7.1.4 – Require Documented Approval by Authorized Parties
PCI Requirement 7.2 – Establish an Access Control System
PCI Requirement 7.2.1 – Coverage of all System Components
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PCI Requirement 7.3 – Document Policies & Procedures for Restricting Access to Cardholder Data
PCI Requirement 8 - Identify and Authenticate Access to System Components
PCI Requirement 8.1 – Define and Implement Policies and Procedures to Ensure Proper User Management
PCI Requirement 8.1.2 – Control Addition, Deletion, and Modification of User IDs, Credentials
PCI Requirement 8.1.3 – Immediately Revoke Access for Terminated Users
PCI Requirement 8.1.4 – RemoveDisable Inactive User Accounts Within 90 Days
PCI Requirement 8.1.5 – Manage IDs Used by 3rd Parties to Access, Support, or Maintain System Comps
PCI Requirement 8.1.6 – Limit Repeated Access Attempts by Locking Out User ID After Six Attempts
PCI Requirement 8.1.7 – Set Lockout Duration to a Minimum of 30 Minutes
PCI Requirement 8.1.8 – Require Re-Authentication After 15 Minutes of Inactivity
PCI Requirement 8.2 – Ensure Proper User-Authentication Management by Something You Know
PCI Requirement 8.2.1 – Use Strong Cryptography to Render All Authentication Credentials Unreadable
PCI Requirement 8.2.2 – Verify User Identity Before Modifying Any Authentication Credential
PCI Requirement 8.2.3 – Passwords Require a Min. of Seven Characters and Contain Numbers & Letters
PCI Requirement 8.2.4 – Change User PasswordsPassphrases at Least Once Every 90 Days
PCI Requirement 8.2.5 – New Passwords Can’t Be the Same as Any of the Last Four Passwords Used
PCI Requirement 8.2.6 – Set Passwords for First-Time Use and Upon Reset to a Unique Value
PCI Requirement 8.3 – Secure All Individual Non-Console Administrative Access
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PCI Requirement 8.3.2 – Incorporate Multi-Factor Authentication for all Remote Network Access
PCI Requirement 8.4 – Document and Communicate Authentication Policies and Procedures to All Users
PCI Requirement 8.5 – Do Not Use Group, Shared, or Generic IDs, or Passwords
PCI Requirement 8.5.1 – Remote Access to Customer Premises Must Use Unique Authentication
PCI Requirement 8.6 – Authentication Mechanisms Must Not Be Shared Among Multiple Accounts
PCI Requirement 8.7 – Restrict All Access to Any Database Containing Cardholder Data
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