Password complexity policy

This training equips system administrators and IT professionals with the skills to enforce password complexity policies on CentOS 7 using the Pluggable Authentication Module (PAM) framework. By implementing strong password policies, organisations can reduce vulnerabilities caused by weak credentials and enhance overall system security.

Participants will learn how to configure and enforce password rules using pam_pwquality.so for complexity requirements (length, character types) and pam_pwhistory.so to prevent password reuse. The course also covers applying policies to both regular and privileged users, ensuring compliance across the system. Additionally, attendees will gain hands-on experience in verifying password strength and troubleshooting common configuration issues.

Learning outcomes

Upon completing this training, participants will be able to:

• Implement robust password policies, significantly reducing the risk of unauthorised access
• Enforce password complexity policies on CentOS 7 and similar derivatives using pam_pwquality.so
• Prevent password reuse by configuring pam_pwhistory.so

Further instructions

The training is free of charge and offered as self-paced e-learning available on demand from April 2025 to October 2025 with a duration of approximately 1,5 hours.