Università Cattolica del Sacro Cuore Università Cattolica del Sacro Cuore

Campus di Milano

The Activity Wizard is a powerful built-in tool used to design self-grading labs. When a password is set:

It prevents students from modifying the lab instructions or assessment items.

It is important to distinguish between the and device passwords (console, enable secret, etc.) inside the simulation. If you are locked out of a router or switch within a lab, you can use standard Cisco recovery procedures: YouTube·Eugene Blanchard

Users cannot see the "Answer Network" or the specific scoring logic.

It patches the program's logic in memory. Specifically, it changes a "jump" instruction (e.g., changing if(hasPassword) to if(!hasPassword) ), effectively tricking the software into thinking no password exists.

A low-tech alternative is to copy the entire topology from the locked .pka file and paste it into a brand-new, empty Packet Tracer file ( .pkt ). This allows you to work with the devices freely, though you will lose the grading metrics and instructions embedded in the original activity. 3. Password Recovery for Network Devices

Users can enter a default "replacement" password (frequently "Ferib") to gain full access to the Activity Wizard.

However, if you are a creator who has lost your password or a developer testing lab security, understanding how this protection can be bypassed is a common topic in the networking community. 1. The Role of the Activity Wizard Password

Navigating Cisco Packet Tracer often involves working with Activity Files ( .pka ), which instructors or lab creators typically protect with a password to prevent users from accessing the . This protection ensures students complete the lab as intended rather than viewing the answers or modifying grading criteria.