Protocol: Cisco Type 7

Cisco Type 7
password decode.

Cisco Type 7 is a reversible XOR obfuscation, not a cryptographic hash. A Type 7 string is trivially decoded back to plaintext because the key schedule is public.

check_circle Example: 0822455D0A16 decodes to cisco

Cisco Type 7 Decoder

autorenew Decoding…

Why Cisco Type 7 is not secure

Cisco IOS Type 7 passwords use a fixed XOR key string called the Vigenère cipher key. The encoded string starts with a two-digit seed that selects the starting offset in the key; the remaining bytes are the XOR of the key with the plaintext, expressed as hex. Because the key is constant and public, decoding is instantaneous.

Cisco's own documentation warns against relying on Type 7 for security; it is intended only to prevent shoulder-surfing of configuration files. For actual protection, use the Type 5 (MD5-based) or Type 8/9 (PBKDF2/scrypt-based) hash forms.

Where you'll see Type 7

In IOS configuration output after service password-encryption is enabled, for example:

enable password 7 0822455D0A16
username admin privilege 15 password 7 0456070B11