Configure the Password or WPA-PSK Complexity Settings on a WAP125 or WAP581 Access Point

Objective

Password security increases with an increase in password complexity. It is vital that you use long passwords with a combination of upper and lower-case letters, numbers, and symbols to maintain strong security. Password complexity is used to set requirements for passwords in order to decrease the risk of a security breach.

Wi-Fi Protected Access (WPA) is one of the security protocols used for wireless networks. When compared to Wired Equivalent Privacy (WEP) security protocol, WPA has improved the authentication and encryption features. If WPA is configured on the AP, a WPA Pre-Shared Key (PSK) is chosen to securely authenticate clients. When WPA-PSK Complexity is enabled, complexity requirements for the key used in the authentication process can be configured. More complex keys provide increased security.

The objective of this document is to show you how to configure the Password Complexity and WPA-PSK Complexity Settings on your WAP125 or WAP581 access point.

Applicable Devices

• WAP125
• WAP581

Software Version

• 1.0.0.4 — WAP581
• 1.0.0.5 — WAP125

Configure the Password Security

Configure Password Complexity

Step 1. Log in to the web-based utility of your WAP. The default username and password is cisco/cisco.

Note: If you already have changed the password or created a new account, enter your new credentials instead.

Step 2. Choose System Configuration > Security.

Note: The available options may vary depending on the exact model of your device. In this example, WAP125 is used.

Step 3. Below the Rogue AP Detection area, click the Configure Password Complexity… button.

Step 4. Check the Enable Password Complexity check box to enable steps for setting the password complexity. If this is left unchecked, skip to Step 8.

Step 5. Choose a value from the Password Minimum Character Class drop-down list. The number entered represents the number of minimum or maximum characters of the different classes:

• Password is composed of upper case characters (ABCD).
• Password is composed of lower case characters (abcd).
• Password is composed numerical characters (1234).
• Password is composed of special characters (!@#$).

Note: In this example, 3 is chosen.

Step 6. Check the Enable Password Different from Current check box to allow users update their password when it expires. If this is left unchecked, users can still reenter the same password when it expires.

Step 7. In the Maximum Password Length field, enter a value from 64 to 127 to define the number of characters and length of the password. The default is 64.

Note: In this example, 65 is used.

Step 8. In the Minimum Password Length field, enter a value from 0 to 32 to set the minimum required number of characters for the password. The default is 8.

Note: In this example, the minimum password length is 9.

Step 9. Check the Enable Password Aging Support check box to allow passwords to expire. If this is enabled, proceed to the next step, otherwise skip to  .

Step 10. In the Password Aging Time field, enter a value between 1 to 365 to set the number of days before a newly created password expires. The default is 180 days.

Note: In this example, 180 is used.

Step 11. Click OK. You will be taken back to the main Security configuration page.

Step 12. Click the Save button to save the configured settings.

You should now have successfully configured the Password Complexity security settings on your WAP.

Configure WPA-PSK Complexity

Step 1. Click the Configure WPA-PSK Complexity button.

Step 2. Check the Enable WPA-PSK Complexity check box to enable steps for setting the password complexity.

Step 3. Choose a value from the WPA-PSK Minimum Character Class drop-down list. The number entered represents the number of minimum or maximum characters of the different classes:

• Password is composed of upper case characters (ABCD).
• Password is composed of lower case characters (abcd).
• Password is composed numerical characters (1234).
• Password is composed of special characters (!@#$).

Note: In this example, 3 is chosen.

Step 4. Check the Enable WPA-PSK Different from Current check box to allow users update their password when it expires. If this is left unchecked, users can still reenter the same password when it expires.

Step 5. In the Maximum WPA-PSK Length field, enter a value from 32 to 63 to define the number of characters and length of the password. The default is 63.

Note: In this example, 63 is used.

Step 6. In the Minimum WPA-PSK Length field, enter a value from 0 to 32 to set the minimum required number of characters for the password. The default is 8.

Note: In this example, the minimum password length is 9.

Step 7. Click OK. You will be taken back to the main Security configuration page.

Step 8. Click the Save button to save the configured settings.

You should now have successfully configured the WPA-PSK Complexity security settings on your WAP.