What is the Difference Between enable password and enable secret

The main difference between enable password and enable secret is that enable password is a command that allows the user to access privileged levels of a networking device, while enable secret is a command that provides additional security than enable password command. 

Enable password and enable secret are two commands in networking devices of Cisco, which is a popular vendor for manufacturing network devices such as routers and switches. Furthermore, the network administrator has to use specified commands to perform operations on these devices. 

Key Areas Covered

1. What is enable password
      – Definition, Functionality
2. What is enable secret
     – Definition, Functionality
3. Difference Between enable password and enable secret
     – Comparison of Key Differences

Key Terms

enable password, enable secret

Difference Between enable password and enable secret - Comparison Summary

What is enable password

Generally, a password helps to restrict access to a network device. The enable password command is used to set a password. Users can type enable password command in global configuration mode. Moreover, there is no password by default.

Difference Between enable password and enable secretThe syntax for enabling the password is as follows.

enable password [level level] {password | [encryption-type] encrypted-password}

The terms are as follows.

level level – It defines the level of applying the password; however, it is optional. Generally, there are 16 privilege levels starting from 0 to 15.

password – It refers to the password user has to type to come to the enable mode.

encryption-type – It is optional and used to encrypt the password. The only encrypted type available is 5. If the user specifies an encryption type, the next argument to provide is the encrypted password. Additionally, it is a password already encrypted by a Cisco router.

encrypted password – This is an encrypted password entered that is coped from another router configuration.

The command below will enable password pw1 on level 3.

enable password level 3 pw1

Furthermore, if the user wants to remove the password, he can use the following command.

no enable password [level level]

What is Enable Secret

In global configuration mode, the user can add an extra layer of security using enable secret command. The syntax is as follows.

enable secret [level level] {password | [encryption-type] encrypted-password}

Here, the password refers to the password to go to the enable mode. However, this password is different from the password created with the enable password command. Apart from that, the other terms are the same as in the previous section.

Similarly, the user can turn off the enable secret function using the following command.

no enable secret [level level]

Following command enables secret password of pw1.

enable secret pw1

Additionally, after specifying enable secret password, the user can use this password to get access. Also, it is important to note that the passwords defined in enable password will not work further.

Difference Between enable password and enable secret

Definition

enable password is a command that allows setting a local password to control access to various privilege levels in global configuration mode. On the other hand, enable secret is a command that provides an additional layer of security over the enable password command in global configuration mode. Thus, this is the main difference between enable password and enable secret.

Security

Importantly, another difference between enable password and enable secret is that the enable password is less secure than enable secret.

Syntax for enabling

Furthermore, the syntax for enabling the password is, enable password [level level] {password | [encryption-type] encrypted-password} whereas the syntax for enabling secret is, enable secret [level level] {password | [encryption-type] encrypted-password}.

Syntax for removing

While the syntax for removing password is, no enable password [level level], the syntax for removing secret is, no enable secret [level level]. This is also a difference between enable password and enable secret.

Conclusion

In brief, enable password and enable secret are two commands in networking devices of Cisco. The main difference between enable password and enable secret is that enable password is a command that allows the user to access privilege levels of a networking device while enable secret is a command that provides additional security than enable password command. 

References:

1.“Null.” Cisco, 7 Oct. 2013, Available here.

Image Courtesy:

1.”Photo supplied by Cisco Systems Inc. of a 1800 Series Router” By The original uploader was Akc9000 at English Wikipedia. – Transferred from en.wikipedia to Commons (CC BY-SA 3.0) via Commons Wikimedia

About the Author: Lithmee

Lithmee holds a Bachelor of Science degree in Computer Systems Engineering and is reading for her Master’s degree in Computer Science. She is passionate about sharing her knowldge in the areas of programming, data science, and computer systems.

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