One of the areas to manage in managing the information security is protecting physical and environmental security where information processing facilities are located such as the networking routers. When the intruders can physically access the routers, the next step is getting the router password. Protecting physical and environmental security is one of the elements to manage in the information security management.
This article will discuss about the Cisco router password and setting router banners.
Cisco router password
There are two types of Cisco router password you can setup, “enable” and “enable secret” password. You need to securely protect these passwords from the intruders.
- The passwords control access to privileged EXEC mode
- The enable password is stored in clear text (not encrypted), you can view the password when you type the show run command
- The enable secret password is encrypted, when you type the “show run” command, the password is not in clear text, it is encrypted.
- The router uses the enable secret password if it exist
- The enable and enable secret password should be different
Setting the router passwords
| To set the enable password, use | Router (config)# enable password <router_password> |
| To set the enable secret password, use: | Router (config)# enable secret <your_router_password> |
Setting line passwords
You can set the passwords that control access to the router through a console and a virtual terminal connection. You must set the VTY password before you can use a virtual terminal to connect to the router.
| To switch to the line configuration mode for the console | Router (config)# line con |
| To switch to the line configuration mode for the virtual terminal | Router (config)# line vty |
| To set the password | Router (config-line)# password |
| To enable word checking and require the password | Router (config-line)# login |
Examples
| The following commands set the password “cracker” for the console and enable the password
Router (config)# line con 0 Router (config-line)# password cracker Router (config-line)# login |
| The following commands set the password “cracker” for all the VTY lines on the router and enables the password
Router (config)# line vty 0 4 Router (config-line)# password cracker Router (config-line)# login |
Setting router banners
If you would like to display the banner when anyone logon into the router, router allows that with banner command. The following four types of the banners display at various times during the login or startup sequence
- MOTD (message of the day) – displays immediately after a connection is made
- Login – displays after the MOTD banner and before the login prompt
- EXEC – displays after a successful login
- Incoming-displays for a reverse telnet session
| To set the Message-of-the-day banner | Router (config)# banner motd |
| To set the login banner | Router (config)# banner login |
| To set the EXEC banner | Router (config)# banner exec |
Follow the banner command with a delimiter character. The delimiter encloses the banner text, and helps the router identify the beginning and ending the banner.
Examples:
The following commands set the MOTD, login, and EXEC banners, using # as the delimiting character and inserting a hard return between each banner.
| Router (config)# banner motd # This is the Message-of-the-day banners!#
Router (config)# banner login # <cr> This is the login banner! # Router (config)# banner exec # <cr> This is the Exec banner!# |
Everything you type is considered part of the banner, until you use the delimiting character again. This includes other characters, hard return, spaces, and so on. Therefore, as you set a banner, you must specify a delimiter character, a start and stop symbol that does not appear in the body of the banner. The delimiting character tells the router when the banner text stops. The banner appears on the screen exactly as you type it.
To remove or delete an item from the router configuration, precede the configuration command with the no keyword. For example, banner motd #This is the banner# sets the MOTD banner, and no banner motd removes it.
Router password should be made as strong as possible, the article about securing the password will help you create and maintain strong router password as guidance. Check out other article about corporate security software here.
See also:
- Router connections guidelines – for home and business router
- How to choose the best wireless routers
- Security risk assessment
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