Whenever this option is set to ON SQL Server will prompt for an updated password the first time the new or altered login is used. Enforcing a password change after a reset or new login creation will prevent the account administrators or anyone accessing the initial password from misuse of the SQL login created without being noticed. NOTE: Nessus has not performed this check. Please review the benchmark to ensure target compliance.
Solution
Set the MUST_CHANGE option for SQL Authenticated logins when creating a login initially: CREATE LOGIN <login_name> WITH PASSWORD = '<password_value>' MUST_CHANGE, CHECK_EXPIRATION = ON, CHECK_POLICY = ON; Set the MUST_CHANGE option for SQL Authenticated logins when resetting a password: ALTER LOGIN <login_name> WITH PASSWORD = '<new_password_value>' MUST_CHANGE; Impact: CHECK_EXPIRATION and CHECK_POLICY options must both be ON End users must have the means (application) to change the password when forced.