C2300 weird password issue

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C2300 weird password issue

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C2300 weird password issue
C2300 weird password issue
2021-02-01 17:00:36 - last edited 2021-02-02 20:36:41
Model: Archer C2300  
Hardware Version: V1
Firmware Version: 2.03

Ok this is a weird one. I tried switching my router to TP-Link cloud managed, then I changed my mind and switched it back.  Not sure if that caused this, or maybe I changed the admin password and let my browser - Firefox - choose a secure password?

 

In either case, while I can log into the router using Firefox's stored password, I can't change the admin password.

 

Specifically...  I go to the login page using Firefox.  I click inside the password box.  Firefox offers to paste in my password.  I let it.  What it pastes is a 256 character string.  I know this because I can click the little eye icon in that text box to see and copy that string.

Note that if I try to actually type into the login password box, it restricts my entry to 15 characters.  But somehow Firefox can put a 256 character entry in there.

 

With the Firefox providing the stored 256 character password string I can log in.

 

Now if I go to change the password,the 'old password' box is restricted to 15 characters.  Firefox offers to paste a saved password into that box, which looks really long, but I have no eye icon here so I can't see what Firefox is pasting to know if it is the same thing. But whatever Firefox pastes, that is not accepted as the old password.  I can't provide the 256 character login password on my own obviously...

 

Is there a way to default the password without defaulting the router?

 

What should I do about this?

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

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#1
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1 Accepted Solution
Re:C2300 weird password issue-Solution
2021-02-02 16:53:46 - last edited 2021-02-02 20:36:41

@dhostetter 

dhostetter wrote

When I try to change the password I have to enter the "old" password.

 

I assume you mean the TP-LINK Router GUI page:

 

 

Maybe if you go to the Firefox OPTIONS and COPY the PASSWORD and use it there it 'could' work? Not sure since it is Encrypted and I'll assume that Firefox decrypts it as it sends it?

 

============

Firefox Accounts and Firefox Sync allow you to save and sync your logins as well as let you know if any of your passwords are vulnerable. They both also protect your passwords with encryption so that even Mozilla can’t see them. Meanwhile, Firefox Lockwise checks your saved websites against a database of breached websites to let you know if your logins are vulnerable. For more information, see Firefox Lockwise - Alerts for breached websites.

============

 

What about FORGOT PASSWORD on the GUI LOGIN page:

 

 

Maybe that wouldn't require the OLD PASSWORD as you do that if you FORGOT it?

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#9
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Re:C2300 weird password issue
2021-02-02 00:53:38
There are extensions for Firefox that allow you to see the password that you can install. Some require a mouse over. Do not know if it would work, have you tried to cut and paste the password?
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#2
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Re:C2300 weird password issue
2021-02-02 12:42:50 - last edited 2021-02-02 12:43:12

@dhostetter 

 

In FireFox, click on the menu bar TOOLS, then OPTIONS. On the tab that opens, click on Privacy and Security, and then LOGINS & PASSWORDS. Scroll the list for the website  and you'll see what FF has stored. In my case (I use ROBOFORM by the way which overrides FF's entries) I can see the same as you (it has an 'eye' to allow you to see it), a long bunch of letters and numbers (I didn't count them ). You CAN delete that and then you should be able to enter what you want again and save it. Give it a try.

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#3
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Re:C2300 weird password issue
2021-02-02 13:25:44

@IrvSp 

 

I think their issue is with not knowing what the router password is so they can change it and wants to avoid a factory reset. Firefox has it stored correctly. They just can not see what is stored and what appears to be stored in Firefox is larger than the router's login screen allows.

 

I use Dashlane for my passwords and have used Lastpass in the past. I use Firefox and have an extension (add-on) called "show me the password" that I can see the password with a mouse over. I do not know if the extension would help them or not.

 

I would load a third party password manager that can import the user-ids and passwords from Firefox. Most do. Should be able to see the password in the third party manager. Then could switch back to using Firefox password manager. 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

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#4
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Re:C2300 weird password issue
2021-02-02 13:50:47

@ArcherC8 

 

Yes, and it seems that Firefox handles passwords 2 ways? Some of them are 'clear' text, others are encrypted (the string of numbers and letters, hex ones only, and are quite long). I think it has to do with the web page itself? For instance, my old Netgear router uses the IP Address and it is listed in plain text. The 2 TP-Link ones are not plain text.

 

I think I know the reason too. Netgear doesn't using your E-Mail address as TP-Link does when you use the TP-Link ID. Firefox doesn't even show the email address itself but just 'EMAIL'. Either the input has to be encrypted or it knows it needs that as the GUI does the encryption to send it out to cloud?

 

ArcherC8 wrote

@IrvSp 

 

I think their issue is with not knowing what the router password is so they can change it and wants to avoid a factory reset. Firefox has it stored correctly. They just can not see what is stored and what appears to be stored in Firefox is larger than the router's login screen allows.

 

I didn't think it was knowing the password and being able to change it (the log in one I assume) as the OP stated:

 

" In either case, while I can log into the router using Firefox's stored password, I can't change the admin password."

 

So I assumed once into the router GUI the PASSWORD used there could be changed. The problem was overriding the Firefox password?

 

Using the Firefox OPTION the OP could either change it there or just delete it and let Firefox save a new one?

 

I've found Firefox, although OPTIONS indicates its credential saving option has been surplanted by RoboForm in my case, still messes up some RoboForm password operations. In some places, like the TP-Link ID on my Archer A20, where I have to click the RoboForm entry a few times to make it work.

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#5
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Re:C2300 weird password issue
2021-02-02 15:40:24

Hm.  I considered that Firefox isn't literally using a 256 byte password string, that it is an encrypted representation.  But usually the eye icon in a password box shows me the actual password, even when Firefox has saved it.  Firefox is managing passwords using FireFox Lockwise and when I get it to show me the password, it shows me the long string, not a sensible password. When I get Firefox to show me other passwords it has stored, it shows me sensible passwords that I recognize.

Usually I store my passwords in Keepass but like I said, when I switched back from Cloud managed somehow I let Firefox provide the password and now I don't know what it is, assuming it is not actually that long string.

I'll see if I can get email from the router working and try "forgot my password".  Otherwise I guess I could back up the config, default it, restore the config and see if that overwrites the new password I would select after defaulting.  Defaulting and setting up again from scratch isn't terrible either.

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#6
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Re:C2300 weird password issue
2021-02-02 15:41:02 - last edited 2021-02-02 15:41:56

@IrvSp   That was the first thing I tried... it shows me the 256 byte string that it fills into the password box.  Editing that won't help if it doesn't match what the router password actually is.  That's the issue, Firefox picked a "secure password" for me, I believe, and the 256 byte string seems to be it.

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#7
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Re:C2300 weird password issue
2021-02-02 15:43:44 - last edited 2021-02-02 15:44:30

" In either case, while I can log into the router using Firefox's stored password, I can't change the admin password."

 

What I mean is that, other than the long secure string Firefox is using, I don't know what the actual router password is.  I think Firefox chose it and as I have said, the only password Firefox shows me is the long secure string.

 

When I try to change the password I have to enter the "old" password. See above sentence... If somehow that long string IS the actual password, I can't enter that into the old password box, it doesn't accept that many characters and Firefox won't do it's magical pasting thing that it does (bypassing the character limit) on the actual login page.

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#8
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Re:C2300 weird password issue-Solution
2021-02-02 16:53:46 - last edited 2021-02-02 20:36:41

@dhostetter 

dhostetter wrote

When I try to change the password I have to enter the "old" password.

 

I assume you mean the TP-LINK Router GUI page:

 

 

Maybe if you go to the Firefox OPTIONS and COPY the PASSWORD and use it there it 'could' work? Not sure since it is Encrypted and I'll assume that Firefox decrypts it as it sends it?

 

============

Firefox Accounts and Firefox Sync allow you to save and sync your logins as well as let you know if any of your passwords are vulnerable. They both also protect your passwords with encryption so that even Mozilla can’t see them. Meanwhile, Firefox Lockwise checks your saved websites against a database of breached websites to let you know if your logins are vulnerable. For more information, see Firefox Lockwise - Alerts for breached websites.

============

 

What about FORGOT PASSWORD on the GUI LOGIN page:

 

 

Maybe that wouldn't require the OLD PASSWORD as you do that if you FORGOT it?

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#9
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Re:C2300 weird password issue
2021-02-02 20:38:29 - last edited 2021-02-02 20:45:28

@IrvSp Yes, that's the page.  I can't type or paste the Firefox "password" into "old password" field because it is too long.  My screen is slightly different than your screen and says "old password".  Can I paste screenshot?



AHH Look at that.  Now I can be much clearer.

My guess is that Firefox is encrypting some passwords but not others because I can get Firefox to show me plain text of some of my passwords but my current router password (this one) and a previously stored router password (old dead router) both look similar - long secure string.

If I can't find a way, in 10 minutes of googling, to decrypt this string, then I will set up email in the router and try the forgot password function.




 

 

leads to

 

 

Very long string, longer than it lets me type, if I try to manually enter.  But that is not accepted as password.

On the login page though, it is accepted.

 

leads to

 

 

again. a much longer string than you can actually key in, but that works for login.

Firefox stores it as...



A very long string.  But when I look at other Firefox stored passwords they are my actual passwords.

Like I said a few times, I think Firefox created for me a "securely generated password".


 

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#10
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Re:C2300 weird password issue
2021-02-02 21:03:31

@dhostetter 

 

What happens when you use 'forgot password' on the first GUI page to login?

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#11
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