Directory Services 7.4.3

Configure password policies

Adjust the default password policy

You can reconfigure the default password policy, for example, to check that passwords do not contain complete attribute values, and to prevent password reuse. The default policy is a per-server password policy.

  1. Apply the changes to the default password policy:

    $ dsconfig \
 set-password-policy-prop \
 --hostname localhost \
 --port 4444 \
 --bindDN uid=admin \
 --bindPassword password \
 --policy-name "Default Password Policy" \
 --set password-history-count:7 \
 --set password-validator:Attribute\ Value \
 --usePkcs12TrustStore /path/to/opendj/config/keystore \
 --trustStorePassword:file /path/to/opendj/config/keystore.pin \
 --no-prompt

  2. Check your work:

    $ dsconfig \
 get-password-policy-prop \
 --hostname localhost \
 --port 4444 \
 --bindDN uid=admin \
 --bindPassword password \
 --policy-name "Default Password Policy" \
 --usePkcs12TrustStore /path/to/opendj/config/keystore \
 --trustStorePassword:file /path/to/opendj/config/keystore.pin \
 --no-prompt

Property                                  : Value(s)
------------------------------------------:--------------------------
account-status-notification-handler       : -
allow-expired-password-changes            : false
allow-user-password-changes               : true
default-password-storage-scheme           : PBKDF2-HMAC-SHA256
deprecated-password-storage-scheme        : -
expire-passwords-without-warning          : false
force-change-on-add                       : false
force-change-on-reset                     : false
grace-login-count                         : 0
idle-lockout-interval                     : 0 s
last-login-time-attribute                 : -
last-login-time-format                    : -
lockout-duration                          : 0 s
lockout-failure-count                     : 0
lockout-failure-expiration-interval       : 0 s
max-password-age                          : 0 s
max-password-reset-age                    : 0 s
min-password-age                          : 0 s
password-attribute                        : userPassword
password-change-requires-current-password : false
password-expiration-warning-interval      : 5 d
password-generator                        : Random Password Generator
password-history-count                    : 7
password-history-duration                 : 0 s
password-validator                        : Attribute Value
previous-last-login-time-format           : -
require-change-by-time                    : -
require-secure-authentication             : true
require-secure-password-changes           : true

  3. Test changes to the default password policy.

    For example, the following tests demonstrate the attribute value password validator. The attribute value password validator rejects a new password when the password is contained in attribute values on the user’s entry.

    By default, the attribute value password validator checks all attributes, checks whether portions of the password string match attribute values, where the portions are strings of length 5, and checks the reverse of the password as well:

    $ dsconfig \
 get-password-validator-prop \
 --hostname localhost \
 --port 4444 \
 --bindDN uid=admin \
 --bindPassword password \
 --validator-name Attribute\ Value \
 --usePkcs12TrustStore /path/to/opendj/config/keystore \
 --trustStorePassword:file /path/to/opendj/config/keystore.pin \
 --no-prompt

Property               : Value(s)
-----------------------:--------------------------------------------------
check-substrings       : true
enabled                : true
match-attribute        : All attributes in the user entry will be checked.
min-substring-length   : 5
test-reversed-password : true

    Consider the attributes present on Babs Jensen’s entry:

    $ ldapsearch \
 --hostname localhost \
 --port 1636 \
 --useSsl \
 --usePkcs12TrustStore /path/to/opendj/config/keystore \
 --trustStorePassword:file /path/to/opendj/config/keystore.pin \
 --bindDN uid=bjensen,ou=People,dc=example,dc=com \
 --bindPassword hifalutin \
 --baseDN dc=example,dc=com \
 "(uid=bjensen)"

dn: uid=bjensen,ou=People,dc=example,dc=com
objectClass: person
objectClass: cos
objectClass: oauth2TokenObject
objectClass: inetOrgPerson
objectClass: organizationalPerson
objectClass: posixAccount
objectClass: top
classOfService: bronze
cn: Barbara Jensen
cn: Babs Jensen
departmentNumber: 3001
description: Original description
diskQuota: 10 GB
facsimileTelephoneNumber: +1 408 555 1992
gidNumber: 1000
givenName: Barbara
homeDirectory: /home/bjensen
l: San Francisco
mail: bjensen@example.com
mailQuota: 1 GB
manager: uid=trigden, ou=People, dc=example,dc=com
oauth2Token: {"access_token":"123","expires_in":59,"token_type":"Bearer","refresh_token":"456"}
ou: Product Development
ou: People
preferredLanguage: en, ko;q=0.8
roomNumber: 0209
sn: Jensen
street: 201 Mission Street Suite 2900
telephoneNumber: +1 408 555 1862
uid: bjensen
uidNumber: 1076

    Using the attribute value password validator, passwords like bjensen12 and babsjensenspwd are not valid because substrings of the password match complete attribute values:

    $ ldappasswordmodify \
 --hostname localhost \
 --port 1636 \
 --useSsl \
 --usePkcs12TrustStore /path/to/opendj/config/keystore \
 --trustStorePassword:file /path/to/opendj/config/keystore.pin \
 --bindDN "uid=bjensen,ou=people,dc=example,dc=com" \
 --bindPassword hifalutin \
 --newPassword bjensen12

The LDAP password modify operation failed: 19 (Constraint Violation)
Additional Information:  The provided new password failed the validation
checks defined in the server: The provided password was found in another
attribute in the user entry

$ ldappasswordmodify \
 --hostname localhost \
 --port 1636 \
 --useSsl \
 --usePkcs12TrustStore /path/to/opendj/config/keystore \
 --trustStorePassword:file /path/to/opendj/config/keystore.pin \
 --bindDN "uid=bjensen,ou=people,dc=example,dc=com" \
 --bindPassword hifalutin \
 --newPassword babsjensenspwd

The LDAP password modify operation failed: 19 (Constraint Violation)
Additional Information:  The provided new password failed the validation
checks defined in the server: The provided password was found in another
attribute in the user entry

You can configure a password policy inspired by NIST 800-63 requirements:

  • Use a strong password storage scheme.

  • Enforce a minimum password length of 8 characters.

  • Check for matches in a dictionary of compromised passwords.

  • Do not use composition rules for password validation.

    In other words, do not require a mix of special characters, upper and lower case letters, numbers, or other composition rules.

  • Do not enforce arbitrary password changes.

    In other words, do not set a maximum password age.

Follow these steps to set up a replicated, NIST-inspired LDAP subentry password policy:

  1. Gzip a copy of a text file of common compromised passwords, one word per line.

    This example shows the gzipped text file as /tmp/10k_most_common.gz. After successfully updating a subentry password policy with the dictionary data, the input file is no longer required. Lists of common passwords can be found online.

  2. Make sure you have enabled a strong storage scheme.

    Creating a password storage scheme requires access to edit the server configuration, which you might not have when creating a subentry password policy. This example therefore uses the PBKDF2-HMAC-SHA512 storage scheme, which is enabled by default to use 10,000 iterations.

    This scheme is intentionally much slower and more CPU-intensive than the PBKDF2-HMAC-SHA256 scheme with 10 iterations used by the default password policy when you install DS. Test that you have enough resources to sustain the expected peak rates of impacted operations before using a much stronger password storage scheme in your production deployment.

    Impacted operations include:

    • Adding or importing entries with passwords.

    • Authenticating using a password, such as simple bind.

    • Updating or resetting a password.

  3. Make sure password policy administrators have the subentry-write privilege, and any required ACIs needed to write password policy subentries in the directory data.

    The following example grants access to password administrators. The administrator accounts are in the data where the password policy is to be stored:

    $ ldapmodify \
 --hostname localhost \
 --port 1636 \
 --useSsl \
 --usePkcs12TrustStore /path/to/opendj/config/keystore \
 --trustStorePassword:file /path/to/opendj/config/keystore.pin \
 --bindDN uid=admin \
 --bindPassword password << EOF
dn: cn=subentry-write privilege for administrators,dc=example,dc=com
objectClass: collectiveAttributeSubentry
objectClass: extensibleObject
objectClass: subentry
objectClass: top
cn: subentry-write privilege for administrators
ds-privilege-name;collective: subentry-write
subtreeSpecification: {base "ou=people", specificationFilter
  "(isMemberOf=cn=Directory Administrators,ou=Groups,dc=example,dc=com)" }

dn: dc=example,dc=com
changetype: modify
add: aci
aci: (target="ldap:///dc=example,dc=com")
 (targetattr = "*||ds-pwp-password-policy-dn||pwdPolicySubentry||subtreeSpecification")
 (version 3.0; acl "Admins can manage entries and password policies"; allow(all)
 groupdn = "ldap:///cn=Directory Administrators,ou=Groups,dc=example,dc=com";)
EOF

    Notice here that the directory superuser, uid=admin, assigns privileges. Any administrator with the privilege-change privilege can assign privileges. However, if the administrator can update administrator privileges, they can assign themselves the bypass-acl privilege. Then they are no longer bound by access control instructions, including both user data ACIs and global ACIs. For this reason, do not assign the privilege-change privilege to normal administrator users.

  4. Create the password policy as one of the password policy administrators:

    $ ldapmodify \
 --hostname localhost \
 --port 1636 \
 --useSsl \
 --usePkcs12TrustStore /path/to/opendj/config/keystore \
 --trustStorePassword:file /path/to/opendj/config/keystore.pin \
 --bindDN uid=kvaughan,ou=people,dc=example,dc=com \
 --bindPassword bribery << EOF
dn: cn=NIST inspired policy,dc=example,dc=com
objectClass: top
objectClass: subentry
objectClass: ds-pwp-password-policy
objectClass: ds-pwp-validator
objectClass: ds-pwp-length-based-validator
objectClass: ds-pwp-dictionary-validator
cn: NIST inspired policy
ds-pwp-password-attribute: userPassword
ds-pwp-default-password-storage-scheme: PBKDF2-HMAC-SHA512
ds-pwp-length-based-min-password-length: 8
ds-pwp-dictionary-data:<file:///tmp/10k_most_common.gz
subtreeSpecification: {base "ou=people", specificationFilter "(objectclass=person)" }
EOF

    After successfully adding the policy with the dictionary data, you can delete the input file.

  5. Check the password policy works appropriately.

    The following example shows a rejected password modification:

    $ ldappasswordmodify \
 --hostname localhost \
 --port 1636 \
 --useSsl \
 --usePkcs12TrustStore /path/to/opendj/config/keystore \
 --trustStorePassword:file /path/to/opendj/config/keystore.pin \
 --bindDN "uid=bjensen,ou=people,dc=example,dc=com" \
 --bindPassword hifalutin \
 --newPassword secret12

The LDAP password modify operation failed: 19 (Constraint Violation)
Additional Information:  The provided new password failed the validation
checks defined in the server: The provided password was found in another
attribute in the user entry

    The following example shows an accepted password modification:

    $ ldappasswordmodify \
 --hostname localhost \
 --port 1636 \
 --useSsl \
 --usePkcs12TrustStore /path/to/opendj/config/keystore \
 --trustStorePassword:file /path/to/opendj/config/keystore.pin \
 --bindDN "uid=bjensen,ou=people,dc=example,dc=com" \
 --bindPassword hifalutin \
 --newPassword aET1OjQeVJECSMgxDPs3U6In

The LDAP password modify operation was successful

Create a per-server password policy

This example adds a per-server password policy for new users who have not yet used their credentials to bind:

  1. Create the new password policy:

    $ dsconfig \
 create-password-policy \
 --hostname localhost \
 --port 4444 \
 --bindDN uid=admin \
 --bindPassword password \
 --policy-name "New Account Password Policy" \
 --set default-password-storage-scheme:PBKDF2-HMAC-SHA256 \
 --set force-change-on-add:true \
 --set password-attribute:userPassword \
 --type password-policy \
 --usePkcs12TrustStore /path/to/opendj/config/keystore \
 --trustStorePassword:file /path/to/opendj/config/keystore.pin \
 --no-prompt

    As per-server password policies are not replicated, repeat this step on all replica directory servers.

  2. Check your work:

    $ dsconfig \
 get-password-policy-prop \
 --hostname localhost \
 --port 4444 \
 --bindDN uid=admin \
 --bindPassword password \
 --policy-name "New Account Password Policy" \
 --usePkcs12TrustStore /path/to/opendj/config/keystore \
 --trustStorePassword:file /path/to/opendj/config/keystore.pin \
 --no-prompt

Property                                  : Value(s)
------------------------------------------:-------------------
account-status-notification-handler       : -
allow-expired-password-changes            : false
allow-user-password-changes               : true
default-password-storage-scheme           : PBKDF2-HMAC-SHA256
deprecated-password-storage-scheme        : -
expire-passwords-without-warning          : false
force-change-on-add                       : true
force-change-on-reset                     : false
grace-login-count                         : 0
idle-lockout-interval                     : 0 s
last-login-time-attribute                 : -
last-login-time-format                    : -
lockout-duration                          : 0 s
lockout-failure-count                     : 0
lockout-failure-expiration-interval       : 0 s
max-password-age                          : 0 s
max-password-reset-age                    : 0 s
min-password-age                          : 0 s
password-attribute                        : userPassword
password-change-requires-current-password : false
password-expiration-warning-interval      : 5 d
password-generator                        : -
password-history-count                    : 0
password-history-duration                 : 0 s
password-validator                        : -
previous-last-login-time-format           : -
require-change-by-time                    : -
require-secure-authentication             : false
require-secure-password-changes           : false

  3. Change the user’s password policy after the password is successfully updated.

    For instructions on assigning a per-server password policy, refer to Assign a password policy to a user.