IA-5(18) Password Managers
Control enhancement of IA-5 Authenticator Management
Control
Employ [Assignment: password managers] to generate and manage passwords; and
Protect the passwords using [Assignment: controls].
Discussion
For systems where static passwords are employed, it is often a challenge to ensure that the passwords are suitably complex and that the same passwords are not employed on multiple systems. A password manager is a solution to this problem as it automatically generates and stores strong and different passwords for various accounts. A potential risk of using password managers is that adversaries can target the collection of passwords generated by the password manager. Therefore, the collection of passwords requires protection including encrypting the passwords (see [IA-5(1)(d)](#ia-5.1_smt.d) ) and storing the collection offline in a token.
Need IA-5(18) implemented and evidenced?
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Control catalog and framework text on this page is reproduced from official NIST publications — a public-domain work of the U.S. Government (17 U.S.C. §105). Maverc commentary, groupings, and readiness guidance are our own and are not part of any NIST publication.