Citrix NetScaler Password Recovery – Step-by-Step Admin Account Reset Guide

 1. Foreword

Recently, after upgrading Citrix Netscaler for a client, I found that I could no longer log in with the original password. After checking, it was found that the password saving format had changed after the previous version 10.5 was upgraded to 13.1. This caused the original password to be unusable for login, so the nsroot password needed to be reset to log in.

Note: This operation method is only for Citrix ADC hardware devices.

Understanding Citrix NetScaler Password Recovery

The Citrix NetScaler (also known as Citrix ADC) is a critical networking appliance used for load balancing, application delivery, and secure remote access. If you forget the admin password, you may lose access to key configurations, affecting your entire network infrastructure.

Fortunately, Citrix provides a secure recovery process to reset the administrator password without losing system settings.

When You Might Need a Password Reset

• Forgotten or misplaced admin credentials

• Security policy enforcement requiring account resets

• Compromised accounts after suspicious login activity

• Inherited systems from previous IT staff without password documentation

2. Preparations

1. Preparation: Serial adapter, serial (male) to network cable, serial (female) to USB.

2. Connect as shown in the figure, and connect to Netscaler with SSH.

3. Restart Netscaler

3. Step-by-Step Citrix NetScaler Password Recovery Process

1. When you see the interface shown in the figure from tools like Putty, click Ctrl+C, then enter boot -s.

2. Enter the following interface and start the operation.

3. /sbin/fsck/dev/ad0s1a and Enter

4. Then go with the following codes:

  
 /sbin/mount /dev/ad0s1a /flash
 cd /flash/nsconfig
 df
 grep -v “set system user nsroot ns.conf” > new.conf
 mv ns.conf old.ns.conf
 mv new.conf ns.conf

5. After restarting, you can log in with the default password.

Best Practices for Citrix NetScaler Password Security

• Use strong, complex passwords with at least 12 characters.

• Enable multi-factor authentication for admin accounts.

• Store credentials securely in an encrypted password vault.

• Regularly rotate passwords to prevent brute force attacks.

 Related Security Hardening Tips

• Restrict management access to specific IP ranges.

• Apply the latest Citrix firmware updates.

• Perform regular configuration backups for quick recovery.