What is the effect of using the service password-encryption command?
A.
nly passwords configured after the command has been entered will be encrypted.
B.
Only the enable password will be encrypted.
C.
Only the enable secret password will be encrypted
D.
It will encrypt the secret password and remove the enable secret password from the configuration.
E.
It will encrypt all current and future passwords.
The secret password (configured by the command “enable secret “) is always encrypted even if the “service password-encryption” command is not used. Moreover, the secret password is not removed from the configuration with this command, we still see it in encrypted form in the running-config -> D is not correct.
The “enable password ” does not encrypt the password and can be viewed in clear text in the running-config. By using the “service password-encryption” command, that password is encrypted (both current and future passwords) -> A is not correct, E is correct.
Answer B – Only the enable password will be encrypted seems to be correct but it implies the secret password will not be encrypted and stay in clear text, which is not correct.
For your information, the secret password is encrypted with MD5 one-way hash algorithm which is harder to break than the encryption algorithm used by the “service password-encryption” command.
Enable vty, console, AUX passwords are configured on the Cisco device. Use the show run command to show
most passwords in clear text. If the service password-encryption is used, all the passwords are encrypted. As a
result, the security of device access is improved.