credcheck
credcheck : credcheck - postgresql plain text credential checker
Overview
| ID | Extension | Package | Version | Category | License | Language |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 7310 | credcheck
|
credcheck
|
4.7 |
SEC
|
MIT
|
C
|
| Attribute | Has Binary | Has Library | Need Load | Has DDL | Relocatable | Trusted |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
--sLd--
|
No
|
Yes
|
Yes
|
Yes
|
no
|
no
|
| Relationships | |
|---|---|
| See Also | passwordcheck_cracklib
login_hook
passwordcheck
pgaudit
pg_auth_mon
set_user
auth_delay
pg_permissions
|
Packages
| Type | Repo | Version | PG Major Compatibility | Package Pattern | Dependencies |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| EXT | PGDG
|
4.7 |
18
17
16
15
14
|
credcheck |
- |
| RPM | PGDG
|
4.7 |
18
17
16
15
14
|
credcheck_$v |
- |
| DEB | PGDG
|
4.7 |
18
17
16
15
14
|
postgresql-$v-credcheck |
- |
| Linux / PG | PG18 | PG17 | PG16 | PG15 | PG14 |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
el8.x86_64
|
PGDG 4.7
|
PGDG 4.7
|
PGDG 4.7
|
PGDG 4.7
|
PGDG 4.7
|
el8.aarch64
|
PGDG 4.7
|
PGDG 4.7
|
PGDG 4.7
|
PGDG 4.7
|
PGDG 4.7
|
el9.x86_64
|
PGDG 4.7
|
PGDG 4.7
|
PGDG 4.7
|
PGDG 4.7
|
PGDG 4.7
|
el9.aarch64
|
PGDG 4.7
|
PGDG 4.7
|
PGDG 4.7
|
PGDG 4.7
|
PGDG 4.7
|
el10.x86_64
|
PGDG 4.7
|
PGDG 4.7
|
PGDG 4.7
|
PGDG 4.7
|
PGDG 4.7
|
el10.aarch64
|
PGDG 4.7
|
PGDG 4.7
|
PGDG 4.7
|
PGDG 4.7
|
PGDG 4.7
|
d12.x86_64
|
PGDG 4.7
|
PGDG 4.7
|
PGDG 4.7
|
PGDG 4.7
|
PGDG 4.7
|
d12.aarch64
|
PGDG 4.7
|
PGDG 4.7
|
PGDG 4.7
|
PGDG 4.7
|
PGDG 4.7
|
d13.x86_64
|
PGDG 4.7
|
PGDG 4.7
|
PGDG 4.7
|
PGDG 4.7
|
PGDG 4.7
|
d13.aarch64
|
PGDG 4.7
|
PGDG 4.7
|
PGDG 4.7
|
PGDG 4.7
|
PGDG 4.7
|
u22.x86_64
|
PGDG 4.7
|
PGDG 4.7
|
PGDG 4.7
|
PGDG 4.7
|
PGDG 4.7
|
u22.aarch64
|
PGDG 4.7
|
PGDG 4.7
|
PGDG 4.7
|
PGDG 4.7
|
PGDG 4.7
|
u24.x86_64
|
PGDG 4.7
|
PGDG 4.7
|
PGDG 4.7
|
PGDG 4.7
|
PGDG 4.7
|
u24.aarch64
|
PGDG 4.7
|
PGDG 4.7
|
PGDG 4.7
|
PGDG 4.7
|
PGDG 4.7
|
u26.x86_64
|
PGDG 4.7
|
PGDG 4.7
|
PGDG 4.7
|
PGDG 4.7
|
PGDG 4.7
|
u26.aarch64
|
PGDG 4.7
|
PGDG 4.7
|
PGDG 4.7
|
PGDG 4.7
|
PGDG 4.7
|
Source
Install
Make sure PGDG repo available:
pig repo add pgdg -u # add pgdg repo and update cacheInstall this extension with pig:
pig install credcheck; # install via package name, for the active PG version
pig install credcheck -v 18; # install for PG 18
pig install credcheck -v 17; # install for PG 17
pig install credcheck -v 16; # install for PG 16
pig install credcheck -v 15; # install for PG 15
pig install credcheck -v 14; # install for PG 14Config this extension to shared_preload_libraries:
shared_preload_libraries = 'credcheck';Create this extension with:
CREATE EXTENSION credcheck;Usage
Sources: README, release 4.7
credcheck enforces configurable rules for PostgreSQL usernames and passwords during CREATE ROLE, ALTER ROLE, password changes, and role renames. It can reject weak credentials, enforce password expiration windows, track password reuse, ban users after repeated authentication failures, delay failed authentication responses, force first-login password changes, and block password changes for ordinary users.
Required Setup
Add to postgresql.conf:
shared_preload_libraries = 'credcheck'Restart PostgreSQL after changing preload libraries. Password reuse history, authentication failure banning, first-login password changes, and login-time expiry warnings depend on preload or login-event support described in the upstream README.
Configuration Parameters
Username Checks
| Parameter | Description | Example |
|---|---|---|
credcheck.username_min_length |
Minimum username length | 4 |
credcheck.username_min_special |
Minimum special characters | 1 |
credcheck.username_min_digit |
Minimum digit characters | 1 |
credcheck.username_min_upper |
Minimum uppercase characters | 2 |
credcheck.username_min_lower |
Minimum lowercase characters | 1 |
credcheck.username_min_repeat |
Max adjacent repeat characters | 2 |
credcheck.username_contain |
Must contain one of these chars | a,b,c |
credcheck.username_not_contain |
Must not contain these chars | x,y,z |
credcheck.username_contain_password |
Username must not contain password | on |
credcheck.username_ignore_case |
Ignore case for username checks | on |
Password Checks
| Parameter | Description | Example |
|---|---|---|
credcheck.password_min_length |
Minimum password length | 8 |
credcheck.password_min_special |
Minimum special characters | 1 |
credcheck.password_min_digit |
Minimum digit characters | 1 |
credcheck.password_min_upper |
Minimum uppercase characters | 1 |
credcheck.password_min_lower |
Minimum lowercase characters | 1 |
credcheck.password_min_repeat |
Max adjacent repeat characters | 3 |
credcheck.password_contain_username |
Password must not contain username | on |
credcheck.password_contain |
Must contain one of these chars | a,b,c |
credcheck.password_not_contain |
Must not contain these chars | !@=$# |
credcheck.password_ignore_case |
Ignore case for password checks | on |
credcheck.password_valid_until |
Minimum days for VALID UNTIL | 60 |
credcheck.password_valid_max |
Maximum days for VALID UNTIL | 365 |
credcheck.password_valid_warning |
Warn before password expiry; PostgreSQL 17+ login event trigger | 7 |
credcheck.password_change_first_login |
Force a new user to change password before normal queries | true |
credcheck.whitelist |
Usernames excluded from checks | admin,super |
credcheck.superuser_nocheck |
Skip policy checks for changes made by a superuser | on |
credcheck.disallow_password_change |
Disallow users from changing their own password | on |
If built with cracklib support, credcheck can also reject passwords that are easy to crack.
Examples
-- Rejected: username too short
CREATE USER abc WITH PASSWORD 'pass';
-- ERROR: username length should match the configured credcheck.username_min_length
-- Rejected: password contains username
CREATE USER abcd$ WITH PASSWORD 'abcd$xyz';
-- ERROR: password should not contain usernameEnforce password lifetime bounds:
SET credcheck.password_valid_until = 30;
SET credcheck.password_valid_max = 180;
CREATE USER abcd$;
-- ERROR: require a VALID UNTIL option with a date older than 30 daysPassword Reuse Policy
SET credcheck.password_reuse_history = 2;
SET credcheck.password_reuse_interval = 365; -- daysView password history:
SELECT rolename, password_hash FROM pg_password_history;The upstream README says password hashes are kept in shared memory and saved to $PGDATA/pg_password_history, so include that file in backup planning. Use credcheck.history_max_size to size the cache; changing it requires a PostgreSQL restart.
Authentication Failure Ban
SET credcheck.max_auth_failure = 3; -- ban after 3 failures
SET credcheck.auth_delay_ms = 1000; -- delay failed authentication
SET credcheck.whitelist_auth_failure = 'appuser1,appuser2';Reset banned users:
SELECT pg_banned_role_reset(); -- reset all
SELECT pg_banned_role_reset('username'); -- reset specific usercredcheck.reset_superuser can force superusers to be exempt from banning or reset a banned superuser.
First-Login And Password-Change Controls
Force a new user to change the password before running normal queries:
SET credcheck.password_change_first_login = true;
CREATE USER user1 PASSWORD 'Rkd89,34' VALID UNTIL '2050-12-31';
-- first login:
-- ERROR: you must change your password first.
ALTER USER user1 PASSWORD 'Zkd89,34';Force the same behavior later:
ALTER USER user1 SET credcheck_internal.force_change_password = true;Version 4.7 adds credcheck.disallow_password_change for sites where users must not change their own password:
SET credcheck.disallow_password_change = on;
ALTER ROLE user1 PASSWORD 'My-New-Pass#123';
-- ERROR: you are not allowed to change your password.