Router passwords are not planned only to keep out hackers. Password protection is administered on a router-by-router basis. Passwords to get into a router are stored inside the router itself in most cases. Large internet-works contain dozens or even hundreds of routers— a few more critical to network operations than others—so it is a common practice for network managers to allow only choose network team members access to certain routers, or still to command levels within routers. Table 4-3 lists router passwords and what they perform.

In Cisco routers, passwords are used to control access to

* The router device itself

* The Privileged EXEC (enable mode) portion of the IOS software environment

* The use of specific IOS commands