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

• Trainer Sagar Dhawan
• Posted on September 4, 2025
• No Comments

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

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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.

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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.

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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.

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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:

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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]

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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]

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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]

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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]

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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]

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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.

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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.

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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.

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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.

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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.

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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.

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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.

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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.

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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.

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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.

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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.

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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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