Enable and Enable secret password is used to set passwords. The Enable secret password is more advanced than Enable as Enable secret password has more security levels to set the password and encrypts the password by using MD5. The password is not encrypted in Enable.
Key Takeaways
- “Enable password” is a basic router security feature, but it is stored in plain text, making it less secure.
- “Enable secret password” offers a more secure option, as it encrypts the password using the MD5 hashing algorithm.
- Upgrading from “enable password” to “enable secret password” is advised for better network security.
Enable vs Enable Secret Password
The difference between Enable sets the password in local mode, but Enable secret password sets the password in global configuration mode. Enabling passwords does not provide any additional level of security. Enabling secret passwords provides additional security and sets in local passwords. Encryption of passwords is done in enable-secret, not in enable password.
Enable makes the password available in a plain text format. It has various commands. The password is not encrypted. The main benefit of disabling rather than encrypting all passwords at once doesn’t lie with encryption. Users can always generate new ones. Users will also be asked when their credentials were obtained.
Enable Secret Passwords can be cracked by using the right tools. It can encrypt the password without the usage of any command. To enable a secret password, the password is encrypted with MD5. In the simplest sense, enabling secrets is the more secure way. This means you don’t need to keep your master key and passwords in a safe place like an application or on disk when authenticating users.
Comparison Table
| Parameters Of Comparison | Enable Password | Enable Secret Password |
|---|---|---|
| Definition | Password in plain text | Passwords are encrypted in MD5. |
| Password | Local | Password in global configuration |
| Layer of security | No | Yes |
| Secure | Less | More |
| Syntax for enabling | Enable password[level] | Enable secret password[level] |
| Syntax for removal | No Enable password[level] | No Enable secret password[level] |
What is Enable Password?
Enable makes the password that you give is stored in a plain text format. The password is not encrypted. When an attacker compromises your system via brute force attacks like those described above, they may be able to break out of this by changing certain attributes or simply accessing memory locations where passwords are held, as detailed below in these two subsections: (1) Encrypting Password with RSA Public Key Cryptography Section 6.2; (“6-2-3 [RSA-PKI])”.
This example uses Rijndael when possible on Linux systems but also supports OpenSSL 3. The following table describes how it works under some circumstances. A common attack against web applications can cause some serious hazards. With enabled, the password that you give is stored in a plain text format and is not encrypted. So if an attacker was looking for this information, they would have been able to get access to your phone by hacking into it or taking screenshots of how many apps are running on it. There’s no way around it, though:
“The login detail is required whether they wish To view certain confidential personal data while connected to our cloud services.”
The main benefit of disabling rather than encrypting all passwords at once doesn’t lie with encryption but instead providing only those files needed from one app, as opposed to up until now, users can always generate new ones which might contain sensitive user info like birth dates.
What is Enable Secret Password?
They are exposed as-is after enabling secrets. It also allows developers to easily change encryption keys if required without worrying about security breaches:
A better solution would be to use AES (the current version of SHA1), which requires far less memory space for each hash used from multiple input files, rather than storing this information centrally across many machines where it can take hours just trying not to spam people’s mailboxes using weak public addresses that will then have no effect once revealed during brute force attacks.
But it’s a bit less convenient than simple plain text passwords because you have to remember that all of your account information, for example (not just a public key), will be there as well. Encryption techniques are not good enough in such cases, so they’ve switched to another method: encryption keys and their derivation via SHA256 checksums.
The difference between these two methods can give an idea about how much security someone using my app was getting from this version of it. To enable a secret password, the password is encrypted with MD5. In the simplest sense, enabling secret is the more secure way. There are several ways to do this: This simple example shows how you can create a username and change it as needed (if your user account has been set up for users).
It generates a secret key added to all documents containing the get_securekey() method called from the CORS module. Use the generate script option to give another script name instead of “src” where possible. The generated token looks something like the following: When we save our document file when encrypting access credentials, there will be an optional string parameter containing the password.
Main Differences Between Enable and Enable Secret Password
- Enable makes passwords in plain text, but Enable secret passwords are encrypted in MD5.
- Enable sets a local password but enable secret password sets password in global configuration mode.
- Enable does not have an additional layer of security, but Enable secret passwords do have an additional level of security.
- Enable a password is less secure than Enable a secret password.
- The syntax for enabling the password is enabled password[level], but the syntax for enabling the secret password is enabled secret password [level].
- The syntax to remove enable-password is no enable-password[level], but the syntax to remove enable secret password is no enable secret [level].
- https://www.sciencedirect.com/science/article/pii/0167404884900403
- https://link.springer.com/chapter/10.1007/978-3-540-27800-9_15
Last Updated : 18 June, 2023
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Sandeep Bhandari holds a Bachelor of Engineering in Computers from Thapar University (2006). He has 20 years of experience in the technology field. He has a keen interest in various technical fields, including database systems, computer networks, and programming. You can read more about him on his bio page.
It’s necessary to understand the technical aspect of encryption methods here.
The difference between these two methods can give an idea about how much security someone using my app was getting from this version of it.
Absolutely, the emphasis on security measures is a significant aspect to consider.
It is surprisingly interesting to see how Enable secret password can be better than Enable.
I agree with your statement. The option of enabling secret password makes the system more secure.
We must acknowledge that Enable secret password provides additional security and sets in local passwords.
Indeed, it’s about reinforcing security levels for better protection.
The comparison table is informative, showcasing the parameters and differences between Enable password and Enable secret password.
Agreed, it helps in understanding the layered approach to security.
The Enable secret password truly offers a more secure option as it encrypts the password using the MD5 hashing algorithm.
Absolutely, the importance of encryption of passwords in enable secret should be highlighted.
Yes, it’s crucial to prioritize better network security.