How To Maintain Security Among Routers
A network administrator has a tough job to complete. After all, they are responsible for the very security of the network they are supposedly administrating. This is a very tough job, with so many threats and vulnerabilities out to date. This is especially true with router configuration, where threats need to be neutralized.
There are several commands in which are used to secure a router in terms of passwords. Cisco announced that one in particular, “Enable password,” has become outdated and vulnerable to security risk. This is because the command uses no encryption to store passwords, and this can lead to hackers finding passwords out and retrieving them with ease.
For those who favor encryption, and we all should, computer network technicians should instead opt for the enable secret command. Enable secret is a command introduced in more recent years for storing the password required to get into privileged mode in encryption. This encryption comes in handy in several cases, with notable benefit to be seen in the running configuration.
For anyone running an IOS version below 10.3, the enable secret command will not be available. Thus, it is extremely important that all Cisco router users update to the latest IOS if it hasn’t been done so already. By default, newer IOS versions will use enable secret over enable password- which is obviously the better choice in the matter.
In the end, network administrators will receive much benefit from shielding the running configuration of a Cisco router from hackers and other malicious users. Even small bits of help here and there in network security can mean a large difference in how the network maintains itself in the long run, so be sure to upgrade to the latest IOS and make use of the new password command Cisco offers.
Closing Comments
Network security is a big industry. Regardless of the thousands of dollars businesses use to propel their business, the smallest of commands such as enable secret and enable password will do a world of good for the network as a whole. Be sure to read more on the subject in Cisco documentation and online networking resources to get the full effect on how to use, maintain, and prepare Cisco routers for security topics.