How can I find out the password complexity policy?

This Windows built-in command (use the Command Prompt : cmd.exe) prints the same details as the tool in answer:

net accounts

Example output:

C:\>net accounts
Force user logoff how long after time expires?:       Never
Minimum password age (days):                          0
Maximum password age (days):                          42
Minimum password length:                              0
Length of password history maintained:                None
Lockout threshold:                                    Never
Lockout duration (minutes):                           30
Lockout observation window (minutes):                 30
Computer role:                                        WORKSTATION
The command completed successfully.

Credits/source: http://windowsitpro.com/security/discovering-details-about-domains-password-policy


Every AD user can see the value of the attribute named "pwdProperties", your id probably set to "DOMAIN_PASSWORD_COMPLEX" (value "1", integer).

AdFind can be used to retrieve many attributes relative to passwords:

AdFind.exe -default -s base lockoutduration lockoutthreshold lockoutobservationwindow maxpwdage minpwdage minpwdlength pwdhistorylength pwdproperties

Here is an example of what you'll get:

AdFind V01.45.00cpp Joe Richards ([email protected]) March 2011

Using server: domain.example.org:389 Directory: Windows Server 2008 R2 Base DN: DC=domain,DC=example,DC=org

dn:DC=domain,DC=example,DC=org

lockoutDuration: -18000000000
lockOutObservationWindow: -18000000000
lockoutThreshold: 0
maxPwdAge: -344736000000000
minPwdAge: 0
minPwdLength: 7
pwdProperties: 1
pwdHistoryLength: 2

1 Objects returned



Since it is AD, currently there is only a single complexity (per se) pattern available: the so-called 3 of 4 pattern. It is either on or off, unless you use a third party tool like Spec Ops to enforce some other level of complexity. Three of Four means your password needs to include at least one character from three of the 4 possible character sets:

  1. UPPER CASE
  2. lower case
  3. Numeric (0-9)
  4. Comic book curse words (aka special characters: !@#$%^&*(*))_+ etc)