General Security - Monday, July 14, 2008 14:14 - 1 Comment

Default passwords for routers

Default passwords for routers

Passwords are a huge part of any network; they help to keep areas secure. They also help to keep people who are not authorized from changing settings and potentially ruining a whole network. When a router is purchased, it is not exempt from passwords and therefore, some passwords come preloaded onto the router. These passwords are called default passwords. They are put in as placeholders until the user changes them. Default passwords also serve as a part of password recovery.

When a password is lost, there are ways around just throwing the whole router out ad buying a new one. In most cases the administrator can reset the password on the router by issuing a few commands and resetting the original configuration to the default passwords. Then, using the default passwords, the administrator can change the default password to one that is unique.

An example of a default password is in a Linksys router, the default password is most commonly admin. Conversely on a NetGear router the default password is usually password. And as yet another example, Cisco routers have all different defaults for different models. A good website to find out the default password for your model is http://www.passwordsdatabase.com

Common passwords for vendors are:
Linksys – Username: admin Password: admin
Dlink – username: (no username) password: admin
Cisco: – username (no username) password: blank, cisco or sanfran

Article written by MyComputerAid.com