# Password & Authenticator Policy (System-Agnostic)

**Document owner:** [Owner/Role]  
**Approved by:** [Steering Committee / CISO]  
**Effective date:** [YYYY-MM-DD]  
**Review cadence:** [Annually]

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## 1) Purpose & Scope
This policy establishes mandatory requirements for password creation, management, and authentication across [Organization]’s IT systems. It applies to all employees, contractors, vendors, and service accounts.

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## 2) Policy Statements

### 2.1 Password Length
- Passwords **must** be at least **15 characters** when used as a single factor of authentication.  
- Passwords **must** be at least **8 characters** when used in combination with MFA.  
- Systems **must** allow passwords up to **64 characters** and **should** support spaces, ASCII, and Unicode characters.

### 2.2 Complexity
- Passwords **must not** be subject to composition rules requiring upper/lowercase, numbers, or symbols.  
- Passwords **must** be screened against a blocklist of weak, common, or compromised passwords.  

### 2.3 Expiration
- Passwords **shall not** expire on a scheduled basis.  
- Passwords **must** be changed immediately upon indication or suspicion of compromise.

### 2.4 Usability
- Systems **must** permit copy/paste from password managers.  
- Systems **must** provide a “show password” option.  
- Password hints and security questions **must not** be used.

### 2.5 Multi-Factor Authentication (MFA)
- MFA **must** be enforced for:  
  - Remote access  
  - Administrative access  
  - Access to sensitive data or critical systems  
- MFA **should** use phishing-resistant methods (e.g., FIDO2, authenticator apps).  
- SMS/voice **shall** only be used as fallback methods.

### 2.6 Account Lockout
- Failed logins **must** be throttled with rate-limiting or timed lockout.  
- Accounts **shall not** be permanently locked out due to failed attempts.

### 2.7 Storage & Transmission
- Passwords **must** only be transmitted over encrypted channels (TLS 1.2+ or equivalent).  
- Passwords **must** be stored as salted and hashed verifiers using Argon2id, bcrypt, or PBKDF2.  
- Legacy or weak hashing mechanisms **must not** be used.

### 2.8 Resets & Recovery
- Password resets **must** require MFA verification.  
- Knowledge-based authentication (KBA/security questions) **must not** be used.  
- After compromise, passwords **must** be reset and sessions revoked.

### 2.9 Administrative Accounts
- Administrative accounts **must** be separate from daily-use accounts.  
- All administrative accounts **must** be protected with MFA.  
- Administrative access **should** be provisioned with just-in-time or time-bound access control.  
- Shared administrative passwords **must not** be used. Break-glass accounts **must** be protected and monitored.

### 2.10 Service & Machine Accounts
- Service accounts **must** use keys, certificates, or managed identities where possible.  
- If passwords are required, they **must** be at least **30 characters**, randomly generated, and stored only in approved secret managers.  
- Service accounts **must not** allow interactive login.  
- Secrets **must** be rotated regularly through automated processes.

### 2.11 Dormant Accounts
- User accounts inactive for **45 days** **must** be disabled.  
- Quarterly reviews of all accounts **must** be conducted.

### 2.12 Application Integration
Applications authenticating users:  
- **Must** support password length requirements and blocklist enforcement.  
- **Must** allow paste/autofill and must not truncate passwords.  
- **Must** store verifiers using modern password hashing methods.

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## 3) Enforcement
- Violations of this policy **may** result in disciplinary action, up to and including termination of access or employment.  
- System owners **must** remediate applications not compliant with this policy or document exceptions approved by the CISO.

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## 4) Exceptions
- Exceptions **must** be documented, include compensating controls, and have CISO approval.  
- Exceptions **must** have a review date not exceeding 12 months.

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## 5) References
- **NIST SP 800-63B, Digital Identity Guidelines (2023 update)**  
- **CIS Controls v8.1, Controls 5 & 6**  
- **OWASP Authentication Cheat Sheet**