Hey #GRC peeps, does NIST have a standard that specifically applies to the strength of passwords/passcodes/PINs used for device unlock?
Reading https://pages.nist.gov/800-63-4/sp800-63b/authenticators/#password
The requirements in this section apply to centrally verified passwords that are used as independent authentication factors and sent over an authenticated protected channel to the verifier. Passwords used locally as an activation factor for a multi-factor authenticator (e.g., an unlock PIN) are referred to as activation secrets and discussed in Sec. 3.2.10. In contrast to centrally verified passwords, activation secrets (similar to the unlock passwords or PINs on many devices) are not sent to the verifier and instead used locally to gain access to the authentication secret.
My interpretation of the above is that where the password or PIN used to unlock a device is not centrally verified, the requirements set forth in 3.1.1 don’t apply. As the “unlock passwords … many devices” are a separate but similar category to 3.2.10, it would seem the requirements there also don’t apply. That seems to leave the “unlock passwords” in a grey area, where absent a standard, organizations are free to make their own decisions without falling outside the standard.