How to Break The Cisco Switch Password

In this article, I will try to explain how to enable the Cisco enable password.

1. Connect the switch to the computer via the console port via a  putty or SecureCRT style program.

2. Unplug the switch in power cable.

3. Power on the switch again and hold down the mode button on the left side of the switch as soon as you power the switch. This opens the switch prompt screen.

switch mode button

4. When you see the prompt in the form of a switch, execute the corresponding command;

switch: flash_init
switch: load_helper
switch: dir flash:

Using the above operations, the location of the configuration file (config.text) is determined.
We will then temporarily change the name of this file so that it will be unencrypted since the device will not receive its initial configuration when rebooted.

5. Then use conf. Rename the file:

switch: rename flash: config.text flash:config.old

6. switch: boot –>Run the command

The switch will reopen after the above operations.
After that, we will rename the file (config.txt) and not lose the old configuration.
We can save the startup file to running-config and change the telnet, enable, and console passwords if any.

Switch>en
Switch#
Switch#rename flash:config.old flash:config.text
Switch#copy flash:config.text system:running-config
Switch#conf t
Switch (config)#enable secret `new password`
Switch (config)#line vty 0 15
Switch (config-line)#password `new password`
Switch (config-line)# exit
Switch(config)#exit
Switch#copy running-config startup-config

As a result of these steps, we changed the password of the switch.

Let’s start the switch again.

I hope it was a useful article.