1.      Install a serial terminal or a PC with terminal emulation software on the PIX console port.

2.      Verify that you have a connection with the PIX, and that characters are going from the terminal to the PIX, and from the PIX to the terminal.

Note: Because you are locked out, you only see a password prompt.

3.      Immediately after you power on the PIX Firewall and the startup messages appear, send a BREAK character or press the ESC key. The monitor> prompt is displayed. If needed, type ? (question mark) to list the available commands.

4.      Use the interface command to specify which interface the ping traffic should use. For floppiless PIXes with only two interfaces, the monitor command defaults to the inside interface.

5.      Use the address command to specify the IP address of the PIX Firewall's interface.

6.      Use the server command to specify the IP address of the remote TFTP server containing the PIX password recovery file.

7.      Use the file command to specify the filename of the PIX password recovery file. For example, the 5.1 release uses a file named np51.bin.

8.      If needed, enter the gateway command to specify the IP address of a router gateway through which the server is accessible.

9.      If needed, use the ping command to verify accessibility. If this command fails, fix access to the server before continuing.

10.  Use the tftp command to start the download.

11.  As the password recovery file loads, this message is displayed:

12. Do you wish to erase the passwords? [yn] y 

Passwords have been erased. 

Note: If there are Telnet or console aaa authentication commands in version 6.2, the system also prompts to remove these.

13.  The default Telnet password after this process is "cisco." There is no default enable password. Go into configuration mode and issue the passwd your_password command to change your Telnet password and the enable password your_enable_password command to create an enable password, and then save your configuration.

Sample Output

This example of floppiless PIX password recovery with the TFTP server on the outside interface is taken from a lab environment.

Network Diagram

monitor>interface 0

0: i8255X @ PCI(bus:0 dev:13 irq:10)

1: i8255X @ PCI(bus:0 dev:14 irq:7 )

Using 0: i82559 @ PCI(bus:0 dev:13 irq:10), MAC: 0050.54ff.82b9

monitor>address 10.21.1.99

address 10.21.1.99

monitor>server 172.18.125.3

server 172.18.125.3

monitor>file np52.bin

file np52.bin

monitor>gateway 10.21.1.1

gateway 10.21.1.1

monitor>ping 172.18.125.3

Sending 5, 100-byte 0xf8d3 ICMP Echoes to 172.18.125.3, timeout is 4 seconds:

!!!!!

Success rate is 100 percent (5/5)

monitor>tftp

tftp np52.bin@172.18.125.3 via 10.21.1.1...................................

Received 73728 bytes

Cisco Secure PIX Firewall password tool (3.0) #0: Tue Aug 22 23:22:19 PDT 2000

Flash=i28F640J5 @ 0x300

BIOS Flash=AT29C257 @ 0xd8000

Do you wish to erase the passwords? [yn] y

Passwords have been erased.

Rebooting....