A CIS password policy is a foundational element of modern information security.
Introduction
This guide is designed for IT administrators, security professionals, and compliance officers who are responsible for protecting organizational assets and ensuring regulatory compliance. Understanding the CIS password policy is crucial for these audiences because it provides actionable, research-backed standards that help organizations defend against evolving cyber threats, reduce the risk of data breaches, and meet industry compliance requirements.
A password policy is a set of rules and regulations dictating how employees should create and use passwords. Establishing a password policy helps organizations adhere to cybersecurity compliance regulations, protect sensitive information, and reduce security holes caused by weak or reused passwords. A good password policy helps prevent unauthorized access and security breaches by creating barriers against weak passwords.
CIS Password Policy Checklist
The CIS Password Policy Guide contains nine key password recommendations for ensuring alignment with its best practices.
These recommendations are:
Minimum 14-character length: Passwords should be at least 14 characters long.
No maximum character limit: There should be no enforced maximum number of characters.
Allow all character types: Passwords should permit uppercase, lowercase, numbers, and special characters without restriction.
Block reuse of last few passwords: Prevent users from reusing the last few passwords (e.g., last 5).
Check against breached/bad password lists: Continuously check passwords against lists of breached, banned, or bad passwords.
Prohibit easily guessable information: Do not allow passwords that include easily guessable information such as usernames or company names.
Avoid periodic changes unless compromised: Do not require periodic password changes unless there is evidence of compromise.
Recommend password managers: Encourage the use of password managers for secure storage and management.
Encourage MFA/passwordless methods: Strongly recommend multi-factor authentication (MFA) and support passwordless authentication methods.
Introduction to Password Policies
A password policy is a set of rules and guidelines that governs how passwords are created, managed, and used within an organization. The primary objective of a password policy is to safeguard digital assets from unauthorized access and cyber attacks by ensuring that every user account is protected by a strong, unique password.
According to the CIS Password Policy Guide, an effective password policy should provide clear instructions for password creation — encouraging the use of passphrases, discouraging reused passwords, and setting limits on failed login attempts to prevent unauthorized access.
In addition to password creation, a good password policy addresses password management practices, such as recommending the use of password managers to securely store passwords and reduce the risk of forgotten or weak passwords. By establishing standards for password length, complexity, and regular updates, organizations can make passwords harder to crack and minimize the risk of security breaches. Limiting failed login attempts and monitoring login activity are also essential components, helping to detect and respond to suspicious behavior before it leads to a compromise.
Ultimately, a well-designed password policy is a cornerstone of good password hygiene and a proactive defense against evolving cyber threats. Next, we will explore why password policies are so important for organizations.
Importance of Password Policies
Password policies are vital for defending organizations against a wide range of cyber threats, from brute force attacks to phishing and credential stuffing.
Why Password Policies Matter
Prevent unauthorized access: A good password policy helps prevent unauthorized access and security breaches by creating barriers against weak passwords.
Reduce risk of compromised credentials: Weak passwords, reused passwords, and poor password management can open the door to compromised passwords, putting sensitive information and business operations at risk.
Support compliance: Establishing a password policy helps organizations adhere to cybersecurity compliance regulations, such as PCI DSS, which require secure password management and the use of strong passwords to protect cardholder data and other sensitive information.
Key Benefits
Ensures employees use complex passwords, avoid password sharing, and regularly update their credentials.
Helps organizations comply with industry regulations and maintain the trust of customers and partners.
Reduces the likelihood of data breaches and supports overall information security and risk management.
With a clear understanding of the importance of password policies, let’s examine the specific recommendations provided by the CIS.
CIS Password Policy
The CIS Password Policy Guide contains nine key password recommendations for ensuring alignment with its best practices. These recommendations reflect a major shift away from traditional advice — such as frequent password changes and overly complex requirements — which is now considered outdated. Instead, CIS provides evidence-based recommendations that focus on practical, research-backed security controls.
Evolution of Password Policies
The evolution of password policies has seen a shift from traditional passwords to more secure and user-friendly authentication methods. CIS emphasizes usability, password length, and protection against compromised credentials rather than overly complex rules that frustrate users.
A strong password policy is vital to helping organizations protect critical systems and data, ensure business continuity, and minimize compliance risk.
Next, we will look at how login attempts are managed under CIS guidelines.
Login Attempts
Tracking login attempts supports stronger access control.
The CIS suggests that all failed login attempts should be recorded and that temporary and permanent lockouts should alert admins.
Organizations should monitor and manage failed login attempts as they can lead to privacy and personal data breaches.
Account lockouts, suspending accounts, and limiting consecutive failed attempts reduce exposure to cyber attacks using stolen credentials.
Understanding how login attempts are tracked sets the stage for a deeper look at failed login attempts and their management.
Failed Login Attempts
Monitoring failed login attempts is a critical control in any password policy, as it helps protect login credentials from unauthorized access.
The CIS recommends monitoring failed login attempts and alerting administrators to track user login activity and assess trends over time.
All failed login attempts should be recorded, and temporary and permanent lockouts should alert admins.
Organizations should monitor and manage failed login attempts as they can lead to privacy and personal data breaches.
Next, we will discuss the role of multi-factor authentication in strengthening password security.
Multi-Factor Authentication (MFA)
Multi-factor authentication (MFA) is increasingly being adopted as a critical security measure that requires more than one method of authentication to verify a user's identity.
MFA provides an extra layer of protection for password-only accounts and reduces the risk of compromised passwords being used in successful attacks.
Organizations are moving towards a zero-trust approach to security, which requires continuous verification of user identities and considers threats can come from anywhere.
CIS supports the use of passwordless authentication methods to eliminate credential theft risks.
This is where proximity-based, passwordless access solutions like Everykey quietly strengthen CIS-aligned strategies by reducing reliance on traditional passwords while still supporting MFA and access management requirements.
With MFA and passwordless methods in place, let’s review the specific guidelines for password creation and management.
CIS Password Policy Guide
The CIS password policy guide reflects current research and real-world attack data. Here are the nine key recommendations, presented as a bullet list for clarity:
Passwords should be at least 14 characters long.
No enforced maximum number of characters.
Allow all character types in passwords without restriction (uppercase, lowercase, numbers, special characters).
Block reuse of the last few passwords (e.g., last 5).
Continuously check all passwords against a bad, banned, or breached password list.
Prohibit the use of easily guessable information like usernames or company names.
Avoid periodic password changes unless there is evidence of compromise.
Recommend the use of password managers for secure storage.
Encourage multi-factor authentication (MFA) and passwordless authentication methods.
Recent guidelines from CIS and organizations like NIST have moved away from requiring regular password expiration. Instead, they recommend password changes only when there is evidence of compromise or other specific circumstances.
Passphrases, which are longer sequences of words, are easier for users to remember and harder for attackers to crack compared to traditional complex passwords.
Next, we’ll examine how limiting failed login attempts can further protect your organization.
Limiting Failed Login Attempts
Limiting failed login attempts helps defend against brute force attacks and credential stuffing.
Account lockout mechanisms should be implemented after a maximum of 10 failed login attempts to prevent brute-force attacks as per CIS.
Five consecutive failed attempts, repeated login attempts, or unusual access patterns should trigger alerts or account lockouts.
The CIS strongly believes that no value exists in a session that is inactive for a prolonged period and recommends terminating user sessions after 15 minutes of inactivity.
Security best practices also recommend considering longer periods for session inactivity timeouts and password change intervals to balance security and usability.
The CIS recommends that accounts should be suspended after a 45-day period of non-use to prevent unauthorized access.
With failed login attempts managed, let’s turn to the risks posed by breached passwords.
Breached Passwords
Breached passwords remain one of the biggest security risks.
Organizations should continuously check all passwords against a bad, banned, or breached password list to prevent brute-force attacks.
Ban common bad passwords to reduce susceptibility to brute force and password-spraying attacks.
Password policies should also prohibit the use of dictionary words and the company name, as these are commonly exploited by attackers.
Weak passwords are responsible for 81% of hacking-related breaches according to the Verizon Data Breach Investigations Report.
Next, we’ll discuss how password policies contribute to overall internet security.
Internet Security
Password policies play a direct role in internet security and access management, especially when it comes to securing corporate passwords that protect sensitive business information and operations.
Password policies help limit access to only what people need, creating accountability through individual credentials.
A good password policy helps prevent unauthorized access and security breaches by creating barriers against weak passwords.
Strong password policies directly protect sensitive information that hackers target, including customer data and financial records.
Now, let’s look at how CIS Benchmarks support these efforts.
CIS Benchmarks
CIS Benchmarks provide configuration guidance across system components to reduce security vulnerabilities.
Security methodologies are guided by established standards like the NIST Cybersecurity Framework.
CIS Controls and benchmarks align with compliance frameworks such as PCI DSS, especially when protecting cardholder data.
Vulnerability management is a key component of these standards, playing a crucial role in securing networks and protecting sensitive data.
Establishing a password policy helps organizations adhere to cybersecurity compliance regulations.
Next, we’ll explore the specific characteristics of a CIS password.
CIS Password
A CIS password approach focuses on strength, length, and compromise detection.
The CIS recommends allowing all character types in passwords without restriction, including uppercase letters, lowercase letters, numbers, and special characters.
Password policies should prohibit the use of easily guessable information like usernames or company names.
CIS advises that password hints are not recommended as they may reveal too much personal or obvious information.
Passwords should never be stored or transmitted in plain text to prevent unauthorized access.
Let’s now define what makes a good password in the context of CIS recommendations.
What Makes a Good Password?
A good password prioritizes length and uniqueness.
Password reuse is a common issue, with users often using the same password across multiple accounts, which increases the risk of credential compromise and data breaches.
Using unique passwords for each account is essential to protect against these risks.
Managing multiple passwords for various accounts can be challenging, but password managers help by securely storing, generating, and organizing strong passwords.
Password managers rely on a strong master password as the crucial layer of protection, ensuring only authorized users can access all stored credentials, even if a device is left unattended.
CIS suggests blocking reuse of the last few old passwords (e.g., last 5) to prevent users from cycling back to previously used credentials, which enhances overall account security.
Password strength indicators can motivate users to create more secure passwords by providing meaningful feedback.
Next, we’ll see how national standards influence password policy.
National Institute
The National Institute of Standards and Technology has influenced modern password guidance.
The practice of requiring periodic password changes has been largely abandoned in favor of changing passwords only when there is evidence of compromise.
The CIS believes that periodic password changes are more harmful than beneficial and recommends an annual password reset.
Password policies should require changes only when there's evidence of a breach, rather than on a fixed schedule.
Let’s now discuss how complexity requirements are balanced in CIS-aligned policies.
Complexity Requirements
Password complexity must be balanced carefully as a key consideration when balancing security and usability in password policies.
Password policies should require longer passwords rather than forcing excessive complexity.
The complexity of password policies, including password complexity requirements such as the use of uppercase, lowercase, numbers, and symbols, can lead to user frustration, resulting in poor password practices such as writing passwords down or using easily guessable passwords.
Password policies that are too strict can lead to workarounds, such as writing passwords on sticky notes, which undermines security efforts.
Next, we’ll review best practices for implementing CIS-aligned password policies.
Best Practices
CIS-aligned password best practices focus on security and usability.
Secure Storage
Password policies should include guidelines for secure storage of passwords, specifying encryption requirements and proper hashing algorithms.
Recommend the use of password managers for secure storage and management.
User Education
Organizations should train users about the importance of unique passphrases and MFA as a critical defense line.
User education is essential to emphasize the importance of password strength and unique phrases in a CIS password policy.
Training employees on password security is essential, as awareness and understanding of password policies can significantly improve compliance and security.
It is important that employees understand the reasons behind password policies to foster a security-conscious culture.
Many users are unaware of the risks associated with weak passwords, which can result in poor adherence to password policies.
Additionally, organizations often fail to enforce password policies effectively due to a lack of technical controls and user education.
Phishing Awareness
A comprehensive password policy that includes education about phishing attacks can dramatically reduce the risk of phishing attacks.
With these best practices in mind, let’s summarize the key takeaways and recommendations.
Conclusion and Recommendations
In summary, password policies are a fundamental part of any organization’s cybersecurity framework. By implementing a strong password policy that incorporates best practices — such as using passphrases, avoiding reused passwords, and limiting failed login attempts — organizations can greatly reduce their exposure to cyber threats and data breaches.
Effective password management should include:
The use of password managers for secure storage.
Regular password updates only when necessary.
Clear guidelines for password creation and account lockouts.
To further strengthen security:
Leverage tools like Specops Password Auditor to identify expired, identical, blank, or breached passwords within your environment.
Adopt a zero-trust approach and explore passwordless authentication methods, such as biometrics or hardware tokens, to provide an extra layer of protection and reduce reliance on traditional passwords.
Stay current with password policy standards and regularly educate employees about the importance of password security.
By prioritizing these best practices, organizations can:
Protect their digital assets.
Maintain regulatory compliance.
Foster a culture of security awareness across all user accounts.
Frequently Asked Questions
What is the CIS password policy?
The CIS password policy provides evidence-based guidance on password length, reuse, breached password checks, MFA, and account protections.
Does CIS require periodic password changes?
No. CIS recommends changing passwords only when there is evidence of compromise and suggests an annual reset instead of frequent forced changes.
How long should passwords be according to CIS?
The CIS recommends passwords be at least 14 characters long, with no maximum character limit enforced.
Are password managers recommended?
Yes. Password managers are recommended as they help users create and store strong, unique passwords securely.
Is MFA required in a CIS-aligned policy?
While not always mandatory, MFA is strongly encouraged as an extra layer of protection, especially for sensitive systems and password-only accounts.