TITLE: SETTING PASSWORD TO ROUTER

THEORY:
1. Router: A router is a device that connects two or more packet-switched networks or
subnetworks. It serves two primary functions: managing traffic between these networks
by forwarding data packets to their intended IP addresses and allowing multiple devices
to use the same internet connection.

2. Console cable: Console cable is a type of connection cable provided by Cisco Packet
Tracer that is used to view the network device’s console from a PC. One end of this cable
is connected to the console port of a network device while the other one is connected to
the RS-232 port on a PC.

3. Network security:
Network security is a set of technologies that protects the usability and integrity of a
company’s infrastructure by preventing the entry within a network of a wide variety of
potential threats. Network security protects our network and data from breaches,
intrusions, and other threats. The elements of a complete multilayered security
architecture that implements network security across an organization fall into two general
categories:
i. Access control: Network security starts with access control. If bad actors gain
access to a network, they can launch an attack or insert malware. Access control
restricts the movement of bad actors throughout the network.
ii. Threat control: Threat control technologies begin with the firewall and load
balancer. These devices protect the network from attacks. Next, IDP/IPS counters
known attacks travelling throughout the network. Finally, unknown malware
objects traveling through the network are captured with sandbox technologies,
while anomalies in network traffic that may be symptoms of a threat are caught
with NTA.

Network security is vital in protecting client data and information, keeping shared data
secure and ensuring reliable access and network performance as well as protection from
cyber threats. A well-designed network security solution reduces overhead expenses and
safeguards organizations from costly losses that occur from a data breach or other
security incident. The most basic example of network security is password protection
where the user of the network oneself chooses.

4. Password:
Passwords are an essential part of the cisco router access control methods. A password is
a word, phrase, or string of characters intended to differentiate and authorized user or
 process from an unauthorized user. They can help defend against cyberattacks and lower
the risk of a security breach. A password can be used to log onto a network and access
personal files.

Types of passwords:
There are five main types of passwords:
i. Console password: It is used to set the console port password. If no password has
been set on the router’s console, by default, the user can use the access user mode. It
is crucial to set a console port password as it defends against someone from
connecting, physically moving up to the router, or gaining access to user mode, and
much more.
ii. Auxiliary password: The auxiliary password is used for setting up a password for
the auxiliary port, which is a physical access port on the router. It is used for
accessing a router over a modem.
iii. Enable password: Enable password is a global command that limits access to the
privileged exec mode. These are generally used for changing the security level on the
router.
iv. Enable secret password: It has the same functionality as the enabled password,
though the password is stored in a much more secure encrypted form.
v. Vty password: Vty or virtual terminal is used for Telnet or SSH session in a router.
Vty password can be set up at the time of configuring the router from the console.
There can be one password for all Vtys or there could be different passwords
corresponding to each virtual terminal i.e., vty0 – vty4.

5. Telnet:
Telnet is a network protocol used to virtually access a computer and to provide a two-
way, collaborative, and text-based communication channel between two machines. It
follows a user command Transmission Control Protocol/ Internet Protocol (TCP/IP)
networking protocol for creating remote sessions. Users can utilize this tool to ping a port
and find out whether it is open. Users connect remotely to a machine using Telnet and
they are prompted to enter their username and password combination to access the
remote computer, which enables the running of command lines as if logged in to the
computer in person.
OBSERVATION:

We set up the network as shown in the figure above. Here, we used Router of 2811 series
and connected two PCs with it. PC0 was connected to the router remotely using a console
cable in RS-232 and PC1 was connected to the router using a copper cross-over
connection in fast Ethernet. The IP address of PC0 was set to 192.168.0.1, subnet mask
was set to 255.255.255.0 and gateway address was set to 192.168.0.1. Similarly, the IP
address of PC1 was set to 192.168.0.2, subnet mask was set to 255.255.255.0 and
gateway address was set to 192.168.0.1. The IP address of router was set to 192.168.0.1.
Now, we configured the router to put all four types of passwords we mentioned in the
theory. All the operations were performed in CLI of the router.
1. Setting the console password:
By setting the console password, the user must enter the password to enter user mode. We
can see the password by entering privileged mode and typing the command ‘show run’.
2. Setting the enable password:

By setting the enable password, the user must enter the password to enter privileged
mode. We can see the password by entering privileged mode and typing the command
‘show run’.
3. Setting the enable secret password:
By setting the secret enable password, the user must enter the secret password to enter
privileged mode. We can see the password by entering privileged mode and typing the
command ‘show run’.
4. Setting the Vty password:

5. Setting the telnet password :

The telnet password was set in the terminal window.
 After setting the telnet password, we can access the router from PC1 using the telnet
password.
6. Removing the passwords:

We can remove all the passwords by writing the above written commands. After
removing all the passwords, we can enter every mode of CLI easily without any
verification.
DISCUSSION:
In this lab, we established a network using a router and two PCs where one PC was connected to
the router through crossover-cable and another PC was connected to the router through console
cable. Here, we used different commands in the CLI to set different types of passwords in the
router to increase the security of the network. By setting the passwords, users were required to
enter the password to enter different modes of CLI. We also learned to remove the password
from the router.

CONCLUSION:
In conclusion, the ability to configure routers remotely from MATLAB provides network
administrators and researchers with a powerful and versatile solution. MATLAB's integration
with networking protocols and APIs enables efficient and automated router configuration
processes, allowing for network optimization, performance analysis, and experimental testing.
By leveraging MATLAB's capabilities, organizations can enhance their network management,
improve operational efficiency, and gain greater control over their network infrastructure,
resulting in streamlined configuration processes, reduced manual intervention, and informed
decision-making based on real-time data analysis.