How encrypted passwords are re-used

[snarayanaraju]

Hello - When copy and paste the Router configuration from one Router to another, we copy the encrypted password (Ex: $1$HxhV$X/uYHeBXhR1ua5IobKhtq1) and using command "enable secret 5 $1$HxhV$X/uYHeBXhR1ua5IobKhtq1".

Though the copied MD5 Encrypted password works in other Router, I have a question

1. whether the Password Encryption is not platform / Hardware bonded ?

2. How the other Router is able to De-Crypt the password that got encrypted by another Router

Thanks

SAIRAM

[Karsten Iwen · Accepted solution]

It doesn't depend on the hardware or platform because there is no key and/or encryption involved. When you enter a new password with 

enable secret  TEST

then the password only gets hashed in a particular way. And hashing the same input always give the same output.

If you repeat the same command more then once, then you'll see different output, because the password is salted to make attacks harder.