Checking Password Strength; Characteristics Of Strong Passwords; Configuring Users - Cisco MDS 9000 Series Configuration Manual

Common Roles

Checking Password Strength

You can check the strength of the configured password. When you enable password checking, the NX-OS
software allows you to create strong passwords only.
To enable password strength checking, follow these steps:
Procedure
Step 1
switch# configure terminal
Enters configuration mode.
Step 2 switch(config)# password strength-check
Enables (default) password checking.
Step 3 switch(config)# no password strength-check
(Optional) Disables password checking.

Characteristics of Strong Passwords

A strong password has the following characteristics:
• At least eight characters long
• Does not contain many consecutive characters (such as "abcd")
• Does not contain many repeating characters (such as "aaabbb")
• Does not contain dictionary words
• Does not contain proper names
• Contains both upper- and lower-case characters
• Contains numbers
The following are examples of strong passwords:
• If2CoM18
• 2004AsdfLkj30
• Cb1955S21

Configuring Users

To configure a new user or to modify the profile of an existing user, follow these steps:
Procedure
Step 1
switch# configure terminal
Enters configuration mode.
Cisco MDS 9000 Series Security Configuration Guide, Release 8.x
Checking Password Strength
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