Networks Analyzed @ Netralized

Configuring the passwords of your network device is the first step to achieve security.

How do we do this?

In Cisco devices we have four different basic types of passwords;

1. enable password
2. secret password
3. telnet password
4. console password

Now let’s analyze them.

Enable password and Secret password
When you access your network device, you start working in the user mode (>). Just type the enable command to go to the enable mode (#). In the enable mode you have full access to configure the device. This makes necessary the existence of a password between the user and enable mode, so no one to be able to enter the enable mode without permission.

Enable and secret passwords play that role.

Use the commands below to configure the enable password

Router> enable

Router# enable password “your password”

Be cautious the enable password is unencrypted and therefore anyone who can perform the show run command can see in clear text your password. That’s why we use the secret password in order to avoid password theft.

To configure the secret password use the commands bellow;

Router> enable

Router# enable secret “your password”

Tip:

You can use both the enable and the secret passwords in your device but when you do that only the secret password is active. Also keep in mind that only the secret password is encrypted by default.

Telnet password
To secure remote access to your device via telnet you can use the telnet password. In Cisco devices we use the vty lines to open telnet sessions.

Use the command below to configure telnet password;

Router> enable

Router# configure terminal

Router(config)# line vty 0 4

Router(config-line)# password “your password”

Router(config-line)# login

Console password
If you want to secure access to your device via console port you can use the console password. Use the commands below to complete this task;

Router> enable

Router# configure terminal

Router(config)# line con 0

Router(config-line)# password “your password”

Router(config-line)# login

Setting the passwords

Using Passwords on your router configuration, guarantees  some extra security especially from mistakes done by accident or just curious people.Building and managing security is a more complicated aspect of security networks, but everything has to be done when needed. First step completed. Stay tuned!

If you Like this Article, Share it!

This entry was posted on Monday, October 8th, 2007 at 5:57 pm, by Jim Skenderlis and is filed under Cisco. You can leave a response, or trackback from your own site.