If you have lost the administrator password to access the security appliance you can recover the password with the following steps:

Step1: Connect to the firewall using a console cable

Step2: Power cycle the appliance (power off and then on)

Step3: Press the Escape key to enter ROMMON mode

Step4: Use confreg command to change the configuration register to 0×41

rommon #1> confreg 0×41

Step5:  Configure the security appliance to ignore the startup configuration.

rommon #2> confreg

The ASA firewall will display the current configuration register value and boot parameters and ask you if you want to change them

Current Configuration Register: 0×00000041

Configuration Summary:

  boot default image from Flash

  ignore system configuration 

Do you wish to change this configuration? y/n [n]: y

Step6: At the prompt enter Y to change the parameters.

Step7: Accept the default values for all settings (at the prompt enter Y)

Step8: Reload the ASA appliance by entering the following command

rommon #3> boot

The firewall will reboot and load the default configuration instead of the startup configuration.

Step9:   Enter into EXEC mode

hostname> enable

When prompted for the password, press Enter (the password in blank now)

Step 10: Access the global configuration mode and change the passwords as required:

hostname# configure terminal
hostname(config)# password password
hostname(config)# enable password password
hostname(config)# username name password password

Step 11: Load the default configuration register value (0×1) by entering the following command:

hostname(config)# no config-register

Step 12: Save the new passwords to the startup configuration by entering the following command:

hostname(config)# copy running-config startup-config

Related posts:

  1. Cisco ASA 5500 Firewall Configuration-User Interface and Access Modes
  2. Using the ROMMON to load a new image on Cisco ASA Firewall
  3. Cisco ASA Multiple Context Mode – Configuring Virtual Firewalls on Same Chassis

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Filed under: Cisco ASA General

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