# Ensure All Users' Last Password Change Date Is in the Past

- Source: https://support.icompaas.com/support/solutions/articles/62000235473-ensure-all-users-last-password-change-date-is-in-the-past
- Section: [Solutions](https://support.icompaas.com/support/solutions) › [CIS Amazon Linux 2 Benchmark v3.0.0](https://support.icompaas.com/support/solutions/62000112696) › [CIS Amazon Linux 2 Benchmarks](https://support.icompaas.com/support/solutions/folders/62000169265)
- Last updated: 2026-05-29
- Publisher: iCompaas, Inc. (https://www.icompaas.com)

**Profile Applicability:** • Level 1

**Description:** Verifying that all users have a recorded last password change date in the past ensures that no user accounts have unset or future password change dates, which could indicate misconfiguration or potential security issues.

**Rationale:** Having valid and historical password change dates supports accurate enforcement of password policies such as expiration and prevents anomalies that may allow unauthorized access.

**Impact:** Pros:

-   Ensures consistent password policy enforcement.  
    
-   Prevents potential bypass of password aging controls.  
    

Cons:

-   Requires audit and remediation for accounts with missing or invalid dates.  
    

Default Value: Some user accounts may lack a valid last password change date due to misconfiguration.

**Pre-requisites:**

-   Root or sudo privileges to inspect and modify user account settings  
    

**Remediation:**

### **Test Plan:**

**Using Linux command line:**

1.  List all users with their last password change dates:
    
    chage -l <username> | grep "Last password change"
    
      
    
2.   (Run for all users, e.g., via script.)
    
3.  Identify any accounts with missing, unset, or future last password change dates.  
    

### **Implementation Plan:**

**Using Linux command line:**

1\. For accounts with invalid dates, set the last password change date to the current or a past date:  

chage -d $(date +%Y-%m-%d) <username>

2\. Verify the change:  

chage -l <username> | grep "Last password change"

###   
**Backout Plan:**

**Using Linux command line:**

1.  Review and adjust last password change dates as necessary.  
    
2.  Ensure consistency with organizational policies.  
    

**References:**

-   CIS Amazon Linux 2 Benchmark v3.0.0  
    
-   chage Manual

## Related compliance guidance

- [SOC 2 compliance: a practical implementation guide for cloud-native SaaS teams](https://support.icompaas.com/compliance/soc-2-trust-services-criteria): Configuration checks like this one are the technical half of a SOC 2 / ISO 27001 programme — the guide shows where they fit, what else an auditor expects, and how to evidence them.
- [ISO/IEC 27001:2022 compliance: a practical implementation guide](https://support.icompaas.com/compliance/iso-27001-2022): ISO 27001 Annex A.8 (technological controls) is where cloud hardening evidence lands; the guide shows how to run the ISMS around it.