| CCNA certification is important, and so is securing our | | | | earlier.enable password 7 110D1609071A020217Pretty |
| network's Cisco routers! To reflect the importance of | | | | effective encryption! However, if we want to have |
| network security, your CCNA certification exam is | | | | the enable password automatically encrypted, we can |
| likely going to contain quite a few questions about | | | | use the enable secret command. I'll use that |
| the various passwords you can set on a Cisco router. | | | | command here to set this password to "saints", and |
| Let's take a look at some of those passwords and | | | | note that I'm not removing the previous enable |
| when to apply them.If the previous user has logged | | | | password.R1(config)#enable secret saintsAfter |
| out of the router properly, you will see a prompt like | | | | removing the "service password-encryption" |
| this when you sit down at the router console:R1 con0 | | | | command, we're left with two enable mode |
| is now availablePress RETURN to get started.R1>To | | | | passwords, and they appear in the Cisco router |
| get into enable mode, by default all I have to do is | | | | config like this:enable password dolphinsenable secret |
| type "enable".R1>enableR1#See how the prompt | | | | 5 $1$kJB6$fPuVebg7uMnoj5KV4GUKI/If we have |
| changed? By default, I can now run all the show and | | | | two enable passwords, which one should we use to |
| debug commands I want, not to mention entering | | | | log into the router? Let's try the first password, |
| global configuration mode and doing pretty much | | | | "dolphins", first:R1>enablePassword:Password:When |
| what I want. It just might be a good idea to | | | | you're prompted for the password a second time, |
| password protect this mode! We do so with either | | | | you know you got it wrong the first time! Let's try |
| the enable password command or the enable secret | | | | "saints":R1>enablePassword:Password:R1#When both |
| command. Let's use the enable password command | | | | the enable secret and enable password commands |
| first.R1(config)#enable password dolphinsNow when I | | | | are in use on a Cisco router, the enable secret |
| log out and then go back to enable mode - or try to | | | | password always takes precedence. "dolphins" didn't |
| - I should be prompted for the password "dolphins". | | | | get us in, but "saints" did. That's valuable information |
| Let's see what happens.R1>enablePassword:R1#I was | | | | for both the CCNA certification exam and real-world |
| indeed prompted for a password. Cisco routers will | | | | networks, because there's no worse feeling than |
| not show asterisks or any other character when you | | | | typing a password at a Cisco router prompt and then |
| enter a password; in fact, the cursor doesn't even | | | | getting another password prompt!This is just one |
| move.The problem with the enable password | | | | way to perform basic Cisco router security with |
| command is that the password will show in the | | | | passwords. We'll take a look at other methods in a |
| configuration in clear text, making it easy for | | | | future CCNA certification exam training tutorial!Chris |
| someone to look over your shoulder and note the | | | | Bryant, CCIE #12933, is the owner of The Bryant |
| password for future use, as shown below:hostname | | | | Advantage, home of over 100 free certification |
| R1!enable password dolphinsWe could use the | | | | exam tutorials, including Cisco CCNA certification test |
| "service password-encryption" command to encrypt | | | | prep articles. His exclusive Cisco CCNA study guide |
| the enable password, but that will also encrypt all the | | | | and Cisco CCNA training is also available!Visit his blog |
| other passwords in the Cisco router config. That's | | | | and sign up for Cisco Certification Central, a daily |
| not necessarily a bad thing! Here's the effect of this | | | | newsletter packed with CCNA, Network+, Security+, |
| command on the enable password we set | | | | A+, and CCNP certification exam practice questions! |