ELEC 99.08
router passwords
CISCO NETWORKING ACADEMY

• enable
• enable secret
• console
• aux
• vty (telnet sessions)
CISCO NETWORKING ACADEMY

• controls access to privileged exec mode
• by default is not encrypted
• can be encrypted, but with weak protocol
No encryption of enable password
Enable password version 12.0
service timestamps debug uptime service timestamps log uptime no service password-encryption
!
hostname Fremont
!
enable password cisco enable secret 5 $1$IpVp$omFRfC1zaVwq.9UOCL3lB.
!
CISCO NETWORKING ACADEMY

- continued
• leftover from older versions of IOS
• only used if the enable secret password has not been set version 12.0
service timestamps debug uptime service timestamps log uptime no service password-encryption
!
hostname Fremont
!
enable password cisco enable secret 5 $1$IpVp$omFRfC1zaVwq.9UOCL3lB.
!
CISCO NETWORKING ACADEMY

• controls access to privileged exec mode
• is encrypted using the MD5 algorithm
• takes precedence over enable password version 12.0
service timestamps debug uptime service timestamps log uptime no service password-encryption
!
hostname Fremont
!
enable password cisco enable secret 5 $1$IpVp$omFRfC1zaVwq.9UOCL3lB.
!
MD5 encryption algorithm
CISCO NETWORKING ACADEMY

• controls access through console port
• may be same or different than enable password ip route 0.0.0.0 0.0.0.0 Serial1
!
line con 0 login password cisco line aux 0 login password cisco line vty 0 4 login password cisco
!
CISCO NETWORKING ACADEMY

• controls access through auxiliary port
• may be same or different than enable or console passwords ip route 0.0.0.0 0.0.0.0 Serial1
!
line con 0 login password cisco line aux 0 login password cisco line vty 0 4 login
!
password cisco
CISCO NETWORKING ACADEMY

• controls telnet access through vty ports
• may be same or different than enable, console, or aux passwords ip route 0.0.0.0 0.0.0.0 Serial1
!
line con 0 login password cisco line aux 0 login password cisco line vty 0 4 login
!
password cisco
CISCO NETWORKING ACADEMY

1. Access to Router 2. Access to Privileged Mode
Console Password
Aux Password
VTY (telnet) Password
Enable Secret Password
CISCO NETWORKING ACADEMY

• Strategy 1
– Use a special password for enable secret.
– Use the same password for all others.
• Benefits
– Easy to remember
• But
– Blanket access to those who know password
CISCO NETWORKING ACADEMY

• Strategy 2
– Use a special password for enable secret.
– Use different passwords for:
• console
• aux
• vty 0 - 4
• Benefits
– Fine-grained control
• But
– Hard to remember
CISCO NETWORKING ACADEMY

• Always set the enable secret password.
• Never make the enable secret password the same as others that show in plain text in the config file.
• If you set the enable secret password, there is no need to set the enable password, which is weak because it is not encrypted. However, setup forces you to set an enable password.
CISCO NETWORKING ACADEMY

• Never use a word in the dictionary.
• Never use anything related to your name.
• Ideally, use a special character or number in addition to letters.
• A good method is to combine two short words with a special character:
– red$finger
– proud^dog
(easy to remember, meets rules above)
CISCO NETWORKING ACADEMY

• In our lab, we break the rules to set easy to remember passwords:
– enable secret: chabot
– all access passwords: cisco
CISCO NETWORKING ACADEMY

What password to telnet in?
ip route 0.0.0.0 0.0.0.0 Serial1
!
line con 0 login password donut*hound line aux 0 login password kiss@frog line vty 0 4 login password cats#rats
!
• cats#rats
CISCO NETWORKING ACADEMY

What password to console in?
ip route 0.0.0.0 0.0.0.0 Serial1
!
line con 0 login password donut*hound line aux 0 login password kiss@frog line vty 0 4 login password cats#rats
!
• donut*hound
CISCO NETWORKING ACADEMY

What password to connect with modem?
ip route 0.0.0.0 0.0.0.0 Serial1
!
line con 0 login password donut*hound line aux 0 login password kiss@frog line vty 0 4 login password cats#rats
!
• kiss@frog
CISCO NETWORKING ACADEMY

What password to enter privilged mode?
version 12.0
service timestamps debug uptime service timestamps log uptime no service password-encryption
!
hostname Hayward
!
enable password apple&candy enable secret 5 $1$IpVp$omFRfC1zaVwq.9UOCL3lB
.
!
• high-hat
(encrypted secret password)
CISCO NETWORKING ACADEMY