Password Commands

password

Syntax

password

Context

config>system>security

Description

This command enables the context to configure password management parameters.

admin-password

Syntax

admin-password password [hash | hash2]

no admin-password

Context

config>system>security>password

Description

This command allows a user (with admin permissions) to configure a password which enables a user to become an administrator for one session. When enabled, no authorization to TACACS+ or RADIUS is performed and the user is locally regarded as an admin user.

Note:

See the description for the enable-admin command. If the admin-password is configured in the config>system>security>password context, then any user can enter the admin mode by entering the enable-admin command and the correct admin password.

The minimum length of the password is determined by the minimum-length command. The complexity requirements for the password are determined by the complexity command.

Note:

The password argument of this command is not sent to the servers. This is consistent with other commands that configure secrets. Usernames and passwords in the FTP and TFTP URLs are not be sent to the authorization or accounting servers when the file>copy source-url dest-url command is executed.

For example:

file copy ftp://test:secret@192.0.2.0/test/srcfile cf3:\destfile

In this example, the username ‟test” and password ‟secret” are not sent to the AAA servers (or to any logs). They are replaced with ‟****”.

Note:

See the description for the system-password command. Any user that either has administrative privileges or has entered enable-admin mode can run the admin>system>security>system-password admin-password command to change this admin-password as required.

The no form of the command removes the admin password from the configuration.

Default

no admin-password

Parameters

password

configures the password that enables a user to become a system administrator. The maximum length is as follows:

  • 56 characters if in unhashed plaintext

    The unhashed plaintext form must meet all the requirements that are defined within the complexity-rules command context.

  • 60 characters if hashed with bcrypt

  • from 87 to 92 characters if hashed with PBKDF2 SHA-2

  • from 131 to 136 characters if hashed with PBKDF2 SHA-3

  • 32 characters if the hash keyword is specified

  • 54 characters if the hash2 keyword is specified

hash

specifies that the key is entered and stored on the node in encrypted form

hash2

specifies that the key is entered and stored on the node in a more complex encrypted form

Note:

If neither the hash nor hash2 keyword is specified, the key is entered in clear text. However, for security purposes, the key is stored on the node using bcrypt or PBKDF2 hash encryption.

aging

Syntax

aging days

no aging

Context

config>system>security>password

Description

This command configures the number of days a user password is valid before the user must change their password.

The no form of the command reverts to the default value.

Default

no aging is enforced

Parameters

days

the maximum number of days the password is valid

Values

1 to 500

attempts

Syntax

attempts count [time minutes1] [lockout minutes2]

no attempts

Context

config>system>security>password

Description

This command configures a threshold value of unsuccessful login attempts allowed in a specified time frame.

If the threshold is exceeded, the user is locked out for a specified time period.

If multiple attempts commands are entered, each command overwrites the previously entered command.

The no attempts command resets all values to the default.

Default

count: 3 minutes1: 5 minutes2: 10

Parameters

count

the number of unsuccessful login attempts allowed for the specified time. This is a mandatory value that must be explicitly entered.

Values

1 to 64

minutes1

the period of time, in minutes, that a specified number of unsuccessful attempts can be made before the user is locked out

Values

0 to 60

minutes2

the lockout period, in minutes, where the user is not allowed to log in

Values

0 to 1440

When the user exceeds the attempted count times in the specified time, then that user is locked out from any further login attempts for the configured time period.

authentication-order

Syntax

authentication-order [method-1] [method-2] [method-3] [exit-on-reject]

no authentication-order

Context

config>system>security>password

Description

This command configures the sequence in which password authentication, authorization, and accounting is attempted among RADIUS, TACACS+, and local passwords.

The order should be from the most preferred authentication method to the least preferred. The presence of all methods in the command line does not guarantee that they are all operational. Specifying options that are not available delays user authentication.

If all (operational) methods are attempted and no authentication for a particular login has been granted, then an entry in the security log registers the failed attempt. Both the attempted login identification and originating IP address are logged with a timestamp.

The no form of the command reverts to the default authentication sequence.

Default

authentication-order radius tacplus local

Parameters

method-1

the first password authentication method to attempt

Values

radius, tacplus, local

Default

radius

method-2

the second password authentication method to attempt

Values

radius, tacplus, local

Default

tacplus

method-3

the third password authentication method to attempt

Values

radius, tacplus, local

Default

local

radius

RADIUS authentication

tacplus

TACACS+ authentication

local

password authentication based on the local password database

exit-on-reject

when enabled, and if one of the AAA methods configured in the authentication order sends a reject, then the next method in the order are not tried. If the exit-on-reject keyword is not specified and one AAA method sends a reject, the next AAA method is attempted. If in this process all the AAA methods are exhausted, it is considered a reject.

A rejection is distinct from an unreachable authentication server. When the exit-on-reject keyword is specified, authorization and accounting only use the method that provided an affirmation authentication; only if that method is no longer readable or is removed from the configuration other configured methods are attempted. If the local keyword is the first authentication and:

  • exit-on-reject is configured and the user does not exist, the user is not authenticated

  • the user is authenticated locally, then other methods, if configured, is used for authorization and accounting

  • the user is configured locally but without console access, login is denied

complexity-rules

Syntax

complexity-rules

Context

config>system>security>password

Description

This command enables the context to configure security password complexity rules.

allow-user-name

Syntax

[no] allow-user-name

Context

config>system>security>password>complexity-rules

Description

This command allows a login name to be included as part of the password.

The no form of this command prevents a login name from being included as part of the password.

credits

Syntax

credits [lowercase credits] [uppercase credits] [numeric credits] [special-character credits]

no credits

Context

config>system>security>password>complexity-rules

Description

This command configures a credit value for each of the different character classes in a local password. When a password is created, credits are assigned for each character in a character class, up to the assigned credits limit. The credits each count as one additional character toward the minimum length of the password. This allows a trade-off between a very long, simple password and a short, complex one.

For example, if the password minimum length is seven and lowercase credits is set to 3, a password with four lowercase letters, such as ‟srty”, is accepted. The first three lowercase letters are each given a credit worth one extra character. Combined with the four characters in the password, the total reaches the minimum length. If lowercase credits is set to 2 instead of 3, only the first two lowercase letters are given credit. In this case, the ‟srty” password is worth only six characters (four characters plus two extra characters from credits) and would fail to reach the seven character minimum length.

The no form of this command removes all credit values.

Default

no credits

Parameters

credits

the number of credits allowed for each character class

Values

0 to 10

minimum-classes

Syntax

minimum-classes minimum

no minimum-classes

Context

config>system>security>password>complexity-rules

Description

This command enforces a minimum number of different character classes to be used in the password. The possible character classes are lowercase letters, uppercase letters, numbers, and special characters.

The no form of this command removes the minimum character class requirement.

Default

no minimum-classes

Parameters

minimum

the minimum number of character classes required in a password

Values

2 to 4

minimum-length

Syntax

minimum-length value

no minimum-length

Context

config>system>security>password>complexity-rules

Description

This command configures the minimum number of characters required for passwords.

If multiple minimum-length commands are entered, each command overwrites the previously entered command.

The no form of the command reverts to the default value.

Default

6

Parameters

value

the minimum number of characters required for a password

Values

6 to 50

repeated-characters

Syntax

repeated-characters count

no repeated-characters

Context

config>system>security>password>complexity-rules

Description

This command configures the maximum number of times a character can be repeated consecutively in a password.

The no form of the command resets to the default value, which removes the restriction on repeated characters in passwords.

Default

no repeated-characters

Parameters

count

the maximum number of consecutive repeated characters allowed in the password

Values

1 to 8

required

Syntax

required [lowercase count] [uppercase count] [numeric count] [special-character count]

no required

Context

config>system>security>password>complexity-rules

Description

This command configures the minimum number of characters from each character class that are required for a password to be valid.

The no form of the command removes the minimum required characters from each character class.

Default

no required

Parameters

count

the minimum number of characters required from the character class

Values

0 to 10

hashing

Syntax

hashing {bcrypt | sha2-pbkdf2 | sha3-pbkdf2}

Context

config>system>security>password

Description

This command configures the password hashing algorithm.

Default

bcrypt

Parameters

bcrypt

sets the password hashing algorithm to bcrypt

sha2-pbkdf2

sets the password hashing algorithm to PBKDF2 with SHA-2 hashing

sha3-pbkdf2

sets the password hashing algorithm to PBKDF2 with SHA-3 hashing

health-check

Syntax

[no] health-check [interval interval]

Context

config>system>security>password

Description

This command specifies that RADIUS and TACACS+ servers are monitored for 3 s each during every polling interval. Servers that are not configured have 3 s of idle time. If a server is found to be unreachable, or a previously unreachable server starts responding, depending on the type of server, a trap is sent.

The no form of the command disables the periodic monitoring of the RADIUS and TACACS+ servers. In this case, the operational status for the active server is up if the last access was successful.

Default

30

Parameters

interval

the polling interval for RADIUS and TACACS+ servers, in seconds

Values

6 to 1500

history-size

Syntax

history-size size

no history-size

Context

config>system>security>password

Description

This command configures the number of previous passwords to save in the system. A new password is matched against every old password and is rejected if it is identical to a password in the history.

The no form of the command prevents password history matching.

Default

no history-size

Parameters

size

specifies how many previous passwords are stored in the history

Values

1 to 20

minimum-age

Syntax

minimum-age [days days] [hrs hours] [min minutes] [sec seconds]

no minimum-age

Context

config>system>security>password

Description

This command configures the minimum required age of a password before it can be changed again.

The no form of this command removes the minimum password age requirement.

Default

no minimum-age

Parameters

days

the minimum number of days before a password can be changed again

Values

0 to 1

hours

the minimum number of hours before a password can be changed again

Values

0 to 23

minutes

the minimum number of minutes before a password can be changed again

Values

0 to 59

seconds

the minimum number of seconds before a password can be changed again

Values

0 to 59

minimum-change

Syntax

minimum-change length

no minimum-change

Context

config>system>security>password

Description

This command configures the minimum number of characters in a new password that must be unique from the previous password.

The no form of the command removes the unique character requirement.

Default

no minimum-change

Parameters

length

the minimum number of characters in a new password that must be unique from a previous password

Values

1 to 20