PPP Authentication - PAP - ccie.nyquist.eu

PAP is a simple but not very secure authentication protocol. It sends the username and password information in clear text.
One-way authentication
On the router that asks for authentication:
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R1(config)# username USER password PASS
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R1(config)# interface serial0/0
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R1(config-if)# encapsulation ppp
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R1(config-if)# ip address IP-ADDR1 MASK1
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R1(config-if)# ppp authentication pap
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R1(config-if)# no shut
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On the router that is authenticating:
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R2(config)# interface serial0/0
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R2(config-if)# encapsulation ppp
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R2(config-if)# ip address IP-ADDR2 MASK2
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R2(config-if)# ppp pap sent-username USER password PASS
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R2(config-if)# no shut
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This is clearly a one-way authentication. Only R2 authenticates to R1.
Two-way authentication
If two-way authentication is required, a configuration like the following should be used:
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! On R1:
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R1(config)# username USER1 password PASS1
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R1(config)# interface serial0/0
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R1(config-if)# encapsulation ppp
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R1(config-if)# ip address IP-ADDR1 MASK1
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R1(config-if)# ppp authentication pap
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R1(config-if)# ppp pap sent-username USER2 password PASS2
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R1(config-if)# no shut
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! On R2:
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R1(config)# username USER2 password PASS2
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R2(config)# interface serial0/0
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R2(config-if)# encapsulation ppp
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R2(config-if)# ip address IP-ADDR2 MASK2
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R2(config-if)# ppp authentication pap
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R2(config-if)# ppp pap sent-username USER1 password PASS1
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R2(config-if)# no shut
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Other Settings
By default a router will always respond to an authentication request even when no username is configured to be sent, but authentication will fail. Use the following command to refuse authentication requests:
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R(config-if)#ppp pap refuse
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Debugging
When debugging, the best commands to use are:
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R# debug ppp negotiation
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R# debug ppp authentication
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See this Cisco article about debugging PPP neogtiation output​

PPP 101

PPP Authentication – CHAP

Last modified 6mo ago

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Contents

One-way authentication

Two-way authentication

Other Settings

Debugging