NIST Special Publication 800-171 Revision 2

Date Published: January 28th, 2021

Withdrawn on May 14, 2024. Superseded by SP 800-171 Rev. 3

Author(s): Ron Ross (NIST), Victoria Pillitteri (NIST), Kelley Dempsey (NIST), Mark Riddle (NARA), Gary Guissanie (IDA)

Note: A Class Deviation is in effect as of May 2, 2024 (DEVIATION 2024O0013). The deviation clause requires contractors, who are subject to 252.204-7012, to comply with National Institute of Standards and Technology (NIST) Special Publication (SP) 800-171 Revision 2, instead of the version of NIST SP 800-171 in effect at the time the solicitation is issued or as authorized by the contracting officer. Click Here

3.5.9 Allow temporary password use for system logons with an immediate change to a permanent password.

Control Family: Identification and Authentication

Control Type: Derived

SPRS Value: 1

SPRS Supplemental Guidance: N/A

CMMC Level(s): IA.L2-3.5.9

Top Ten Failed Requirement: No

Referenced in:

DFARS 252.204-7012

Derived From: NIST SP 800-53r4

IA-5(1)

NIST Supplemental Guidance:

  • N/A

Discussion:

Changing temporary passwords to permanent passwords immediately after system logon ensures that the necessary strength of the authentication mechanism is implemented at the earliest opportunity, reducing the susceptibility to authenticator compromises.

Upon assessment, assessors must determine if-

Determine if an immediate change to a permanent password is required when a
temporary password is used for system logon.

Assessors are instructed to-

Examine: [SELECT FROM: Identification and authentication policy; password policy; procedures addressing authenticator management; system security plan; system configuration settings and associated documentation; system design documentation; password configurations and associated documentation; other relevant documents or records].

Interview: [SELECT FROM: Personnel with authenticator management responsibilities; personnel with information security responsibilities; system or network administrators; system developers].

Test: [SELECT FROM: Mechanisms supporting or implementing password-based authenticator management capability].

FURTHER DISCUSSION

Users must change their temporary passwords the first time they log in. Temporary passwords often follow a consistent style within an organization and can be more easily guessed than passwords created by the unique user. This approach to temporary passwords should be avoided.

Example

eOne of your duties as a systems administrator is to create accounts for new users. You configure all systems with user accounts to require users to change a temporary password upon initial login to a permanent password [a]. When a user logs on for the first time, they are prompted to create a unique password that meets all of the defined complexity rules.

Potential Assessment Considerations

  • Are temporary passwords only valid to allow a user to perform a password reset [a]?

  • Does the system enforce an immediate password change after logon when a temporary password is issued [a]?