Password Policies

Password policies are a set of rules that dictate how passwords should be created, used, and managed within an operating system or network environment. These policies help ensure password security and can reduce the risk of unauthorized access to systems.

Here are the common password policies that can be configured through Group Policy Editor in Windows to enhance security:

1. Password Length

Defines the minimum and maximum length of passwords.

• Minimum Password Length: Specifies the minimum number of characters required for a password.

  • Example: Set to 8 to require passwords to be at least 8 characters long.

• Maximum Password Length: Specifies the maximum number of characters allowed for a password (usually not restricted, but can be limited).

To configure it:

• Navigate to:

  Computer Configuration > Windows Settings > Security Settings > Account Policies > Password Policy

• Enable and configure "Minimum password length" as desired.

2. Password Complexity Requirements

This policy ensures that passwords are sufficiently complex by requiring the use of certain types of characters. A complex password must include:

• Uppercase letters (A-Z)

• Lowercase letters (a-z)

• Numbers (0-9)

• Special characters (e.g., !, @, #, $)

To enable this:

• Navigate to:

  Computer Configuration > Windows Settings > Security Settings > Account Policies > Password Policy

• Enable "Password must meet complexity requirements".

3. Maximum Password Age

This policy determines the maximum amount of time a user can keep the same password before they must change it.

• Maximum password age: Typically, this is set to a range between 30-90 days, but organizations may set it based on their security requirements.

To configure it:

• Navigate to:

  Computer Configuration > Windows Settings > Security Settings > Account Policies > Password Policy

• Enable and set "Maximum password age" to the desired number of days (e.g., 60 days).

4. Minimum Password Age

This setting specifies the minimum amount of time a user must keep a password before changing it.

• Minimum password age: This is often set to 1 day to prevent users from changing their password immediately to circumvent other policies.

To configure it:

• Navigate to:

  Computer Configuration > Windows Settings > Security Settings > Account Policies > Password Policy

• Enable and set "Minimum password age" to a value (e.g., 1 day).

5. Enforce Password History

This policy determines how many previous passwords the system remembers to prevent users from cycling through a series of old passwords.

• Enforce password history: Set to a number (e.g., 24 passwords) to prevent users from reusing a certain number of their recent passwords.

To configure it:

• Navigate to:

  Computer Configuration > Windows Settings > Security Settings > Account Policies > Password Policy

• Enable and set "Enforce password history" to the desired number (e.g., 24).

6. Account Lockout Policy

This policy is designed to lock out user accounts after a set number of failed login attempts, protecting the system from brute-force attacks.

• Account Lockout Threshold: Sets the number of invalid login attempts before the account is locked.

  • Example: Set to 5 failed attempts before locking out the account.

• Account Lockout Duration: Determines how long the account remains locked after it’s triggered by the threshold (e.g., 15 minutes).

• Reset Account Lockout Counter After: Sets the time period after which the failed login attempts counter resets (e.g., 15 minutes).

To configure it:

• Navigate to:

  Computer Configuration > Windows Settings > Security Settings > Account Policies > Account Lockout Policy

• Enable and configure:

  • Account lockout threshold

  • Account lockout duration

  • Reset account lockout counter after