Question

You are the network administrator of a small network consisting of three Windows servers and 150 Windows workstations. Your network has a password policy in place with the following settings:

Enforce password history: 10 passwords remembered
Maximum password age: 30 days
Minimum password age: 0 days
Minimum password length: 8 characters
Password must meet complexity requirements: Disabled
Store password using reversible encryption: Disabled
One day, while sitting in the cafeteria, you overhear a group of co-workers talk about how restrictive the password policy is and how they have found ways to beat it. When required to change the password, they simply change the password 10 times at the same sitting. Then they go back to the previous password.
Your company has started a new security crackdown, and passwords are at the top of the list. You thought you had the network locked down, but now you see that you need to put an end to this practice. Users need to have passwords that are a combination of letters and numbers and do not contain a complete dictionary word. Users should not be able to reuse a password immediately.
What should you do? (Choose two. Each answer is part of the solution.)
Enable the Store password using reversible encryption setting.
Schedule a meeting with each co-worker's supervisor to explain that the co-worker is violating the corporate security policies.
Schedule a meeting with the co-worker to explain the password policy in more detail and explain why it is in place.
Enable the Minimum password age setting.
Enable the Password must meet complexity requirements setting.

Answer 1

To enhance password security, enable the Minimum password age and Password must meet complexity requirements settings in the policy, and educate users on their importance for increasing security.

Step-by-step explanation:

To address the issue of users circumventing the current password policy, you should implement two changes to the existing policy:

• Enable the Minimum password age setting: This will prevent users from changing their passwords multiple times in a short period, thereby disallowing the reuse of their old passwords immediately.
• Enable the Password must meet complexity requirements setting: By doing so, you will ensure that all passwords contain a mix of letters, numbers, and possibly special characters, and do not contain complete dictionary words, thus making them stronger and more secure against common attacks.

Additionally, ensure that education on the importance of these policies is provided to all users, explaining the role strong passwords play in maintaining increased security for individuals and the company.