Day 62 – Cisco ISE Mastery Training: Guest Password Management

[Day 62] Cisco ISE Mastery Training: Guest Password Management


Introduction

Guest Wi-Fi is one of the most used features in corporate networks — but also one of the most abused when passwords are poorly managed. Cisco Identity Services Engine (ISE) provides enterprise-grade controls to manage guest credentials in a secure, auditable, and automated manner.

This topic focuses specifically on Guest Password Management — covering:

  • How sponsors generate and reset passwords
  • How to enforce password complexity and expiration policies
  • How to handle lost password scenarios without compromising security
  • How to track and audit password-related activities for compliance

When implemented correctly, Guest Password Management in ISE not only improves the user experience but also closes a significant gap in NAC (Network Access Control) posture.


Problem Statement

In many organizations, guest Wi-Fi passwords are:

  • Shared indefinitely
  • Written on whiteboards or sticky notes
  • Untracked when guests leave the premises
  • Reused for months without rotation

This leads to:

  • Unauthorized long-term access
  • No traceability of individual guests
  • Non-compliance with corporate or regulatory frameworks (e.g., ISO 27001)

The challenge: Provide guests with secure, unique credentials that are easy to manage and expire automatically — without burdening the IT team.


Solution Overview

Cisco ISE solves this through:

  • Sponsor Portal: Allows designated employees to create/reset guest accounts without IT intervention.
  • Self-Service Portal: Guests can change their own passwords within allowed policy.
  • Password Policies: Define complexity, lifetime, reuse prevention, and expiry notifications.
  • Audit & Reporting: Every password change is logged and linked to the user, device, and sponsor.

Sample Lab Topology

Lab Environment Components:

  • Cisco ISE: v3.2 running in VMware Workstation
  • WLC: Cisco 9800-CL in EVE-NG (SSID: Corp-Guest)
  • Switch: Catalyst 9300 in EVE-NG (Trunk to WLC, uplink to ISE)
  • Sponsor Endpoint: Windows 10 laptop in VLAN 10
  • Guest Endpoint: Android / iOS phone in VLAN 20

Topology Layout:


Step-by-Step GUI Configuration Guide

Step 1 – Enable Guest Services

  1. Log in to ISE Admin GUI → Work Centers → Guest Access → Settings
  2. Enable Guest Services and configure the FQDN for the portal (e.g., guest.networkjourney.lab).
    [Screenshot: Guest Access Settings]

Step 2 – Configure Password Policy

  1. Go to Work Centers → Guest Access → Settings → Password Policy
  2. Set parameters:
    • Minimum Length: 8
    • Complexity: Uppercase, lowercase, number, special char
    • Expiration: 1 day
    • Reuse Prevention: 5 previous passwords
      [Screenshot: Guest Password Policy Screen]

Step 3 – Create Sponsor Group

  1. Administration → Identity Management → Groups → Add “Guest Sponsors” group.
  2. Assign to employees who will manage guest accounts.
    [Screenshot: Sponsor Group Configuration]

Step 4 – Configure Sponsor Portal

  1. Go to Work Centers → Guest Access → Portals & Components → Sponsor Portal.
  2. Allow “Reset Password” and “Extend Account” privileges.
    [Screenshot: Sponsor Portal Config]

Step 5 – Test Password Reset

  1. Log in as sponsor → Create a new guest user (John Doe).
  2. Assign random password and share with guest.
  3. Guest logs in and changes password from Self-Service Portal.
    [Screenshot: Guest Self-Service Change Password]

Step 6 – CLI Validation

From ISE CLI:

show logging application ise-guestmanager.log | include "password"

From WLC CLI:

show client detail <MAC>

Confirm guest is authenticated with updated credentials.


FAQs – Cisco ISE Guest Password Management

Q1: Can ISE automatically generate a complex guest password for each account?
A: Yes. In the Sponsor Portal, when creating a guest user, ISE can auto-generate a password that follows the configured complexity rules. This reduces the risk of weak, human-chosen passwords.


Q2: How do I enforce that guests must change their password at first login?
A: In the Guest Account Settings, enable the “Force password change at next login” option. This ensures that even if the password is distributed insecurely, the guest changes it immediately.


Q3: What happens if a guest forgets their password?
A: If self-service is enabled, guests can reset it themselves. Otherwise, a sponsor can reset it from the Sponsor Portal. Every reset action is logged for audit purposes.


Q4: Can guest accounts be set to expire automatically?
A: Yes. You can define default account validity (e.g., 8 hours, 1 day, 1 week) in the Guest Type configuration. After expiry, the account is denied access until reactivated or recreated.


Q5: Is there a way to prevent guests from reusing old passwords?
A: Yes. In the Password Policy settings, enable Password Reuse Prevention and specify the number of historical passwords to remember.


Q6: How do I notify guests before their password expires?
A: Configure SMTP in ISE and enable “Send Expiry Notifications” in the Guest Portal settings. Guests will receive an email or SMS before expiry.


Q7: Can I limit the number of devices using the same guest credentials?
A: Yes. By enabling endpoint MAC address tracking in the authorization policy, you can restrict a guest account to a single device or a set number of devices.


Q8: How can I audit which sponsor created or reset a guest password?
A: Go to Operations → Reports → Guest Access → Guest User Report, filter by the guest username, and check the “Modified By” field to see which sponsor performed the action.


Q9: Can guest passwords be synced with corporate Active Directory accounts?
A: No. Guest credentials are stored in ISE’s internal database, isolated from corporate directories for security purposes.


Q10: What CLI commands can I use to check guest password changes?
A:
From ISE CLI:

show logging application ise-guestmanager.log | include password

From WLC CLI:

show client detail <MAC>

This helps confirm that the new password was used for authentication.


YouTube Link

For more in-depth Cisco ISE Mastery Training, subscribe to my YouTube channel Network Journey and join my instructor-led classes for hands-on, real-world ISE experience

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Closing Notes

Guest Password Management in Cisco ISE bridges the gap between convenience and compliance. By enforcing strong password policies, automating expiry, and empowering sponsors, you can keep guest Wi-Fi secure without IT micromanagement. Every password action is logged, providing a defensible audit trail for security teams.


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