cis-cassandra40-v130-3-2

name	cis-cassandra40-v130-3.2
description	Ensure that the default password is changed for the cassandra role
category	cis-cassandra
version	1.3.0
author	cyberstrike-official
tags	["cis","cassandra","access-control","passwords"]
cis_id	3.2
cis_benchmark	CIS Apache Cassandra 4.0 Benchmark v1.3.0
tech_stack	["cassandra"]
cwe_ids	[]
chains_with	[]
prerequisites	[]
severity_boost	{}

3.2 Ensure that the default password is changed for the cassandra role

Profile Applicability

• Level 1 - Cassandra
• Level 1 - Cassandra on Linux

Description

The cassandra role has a default password which must be changed.

Rationale

Failure to change the default password for the cassandra role may pose a risk to the database in the form of unauthorized access.

Audit

Connect to Cassandra database to verify whether the cassandra role has default password.

cqlsh -u cassandra -p cassandra

If the connection is successful this is a finding.

Remediation

Change the password for the casssandra role by issuing the following command:

cqlsh -u cassandra -p cassandra

alter role 'cassandra' with password '<NEWPASSWORD_HERE>';

Where <NEWPASSWORD_HERE> is replaced with the password of your choosing.

Default Value

cassandra

References

1. http://cassandra.apache.org/doc/latest/operating/security.html

CIS Controls

Controls Version v8:

• 5.2 Use Unique Passwords
  • Use unique passwords for all enterprise assets. Best practice implementation includes, at a minimum, an 8-character password for accounts using MFA and a 14-character password for accounts not using MFA.

Controls Version v7:

• 4.4 Use Unique Passwords
  • Where multi-factor authentication is not supported (such as local administrator, root, or service accounts), accounts will use passwords that are unique to that system.

Profile

• Level 1 | Automated