The new encryption algorithm is called Type 4 and was supposed to increase the resiliency of encrypted passwords against brute-force attacks. Cisco declined to name the exact affected products or IOS and IOS XE versions at this time. The issue was discovered by researchers Philipp Schmidt and Jens Steube of the Hashcat Project. The new algorithm generates password hashes that are weaker than those generated by the Type 5 algorithm for equally complex passwords, the company says. The Type 4 algorithm was designed to be a stronger alternative to the existing Type 5 and Type 7 algorithms.”]