Cisco Systems C819HG4GVK9, C819GUK9 manual Enable Secret Passwords and Enable Passwords

Appendix A Cisco IOS Software Basic Skills

Enable Secret Passwords and Enable Passwords

Enable Secret Passwords and Enable Passwords

By default, the router ships without password protection. Because many privileged EXEC commands are used to set operating parameters, you should password-protect these commands to prevent unauthorized use.

You can use two commands to do this:

•enable secret password—A very secure, encrypted password.

•enable password—A less secure, unencrypted local password.

Both the enable and enable secret passwords control access to various privilege levels (0 to 15). The enable password is intended for local use and is thus unencrypted. The enable secret password is intended for network use; that is, in environments where the password crosses the network or is stored on a TFTP server. You must enter an enable secret or enable password with a privilege level of 1 to gain access to privileged EXEC mode commands.

For maximum security, the passwords should be different. If you enter the same password for both during the setup process, your router accepts the passwords but warns you that they should be different.

An enable secret password can contain from 1 to 25 uppercase and lowercase alphanumeric characters. An enable password can contain any number of uppercase and lowercase alphanumeric characters. In both cases, a number cannot be the first character. Spaces are also valid password characters; for example, two words is a valid password. Leading spaces are ignored; trailing spaces are recognized.

Entering Global Configuration Mode

To make any configuration changes to your router, you must be in global configuration mode. This section describes how to enter global configuration mode while using a terminal or PC that is connected to your router console port.

To enter global configuration mode, follow these steps:

Step 1 After your router boots up, enter the enable or enable secret command:

Router> enable

Step 2 If you have configured your router with an enable password, enter it when you are prompted.

The enable password does not appear on the screen when you enter it. This example shows how to enter privileged EXEC mode:

Password: enable_password

Router#

Privileged EXEC mode is indicated by the pound sign (#) in the prompt. You can now make changes to your router configuration.

Step 3 Enter the configure terminal command to enter global configuration mode:

Router# configure terminal

Router(config)#

You can now make changes to your router configuration.

Cisco 819 Integrated Services Routers Software Configuration Guide

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