In this article we will examine password recovery process for Cisco devices. Sometimes you can forget the passwords and need a recovery. Or may be you are a hacker and you may want to break the device’s password 🙂 Whatever, it is time to take a look for the process. In this article I will tell you how you can recover the password of Cisco 2600 or 2800 series routers.

cisco router

First of all, you need a console cable and software for serial connection ( like Putty ). Plug the console cable to console port and choose “serial” connection on Putty. Select the COM port that your computer using correctly and click “connect”. When your serial connection is made correctly, power off the cisco device and turn it on again. After you need to press “break” button on your keyboard and go to the rommon mode ! Here are the next steps :

  1. Type confreg 0x2142
  2. Type “reset”
  3. Type “no”
  4. Type “enable”
  5. Type “copy startup-config running-config”
  6. Type “configure terminal”
  7. Type “enable secret ” // like “enable secret myhardpassword”
  8. Type “config-register ” // like “config-register 0x2102”
  9. Type “write memory”

That is all ! You successfully recovered the password of your Cisco router !