topic Re: Palo Alto PA-850 Login Issue After Power Shutdown — Request for Guidance in Next-Generation Firewall Discussions

Palo Alto PA-850 Login Issue After Power Shutdown — Request for Guidance

lovekeeyz — Wed, 30 Apr 2025 17:04:16 GMT

Hi all,
I’m currently dealing with a login issue on a Palo Alto PA-850 firewall after a scheduled power shutdown. Here's the situation:

The firewall was shut down prior to the outage
After powering it back on, I can ping the firewall's IP address and see network traffic flow normally.
However, I’m unable to log in via:
- Web UI (receives "incorrect username/password")
- CLI through console connection (same issue)

Troubleshooting So Far:

I tried the last known password (which had been working before the shutdown).
I also tried the default as well as previous password with no luck.
I attempted recovery via Maintenance Mode but haven't been able to restore access yet.

✅ What I Know:

The firewall itself appears operational (green lights displayed), just locked out of access.
No recent changes were made to user accounts before the shutdown.

❓ What I Need Help With:

Has anyone experienced this issue ?
Any tips on recovering access without performing a factory reset?

Thanks in advance for any guidance!

Re: Palo Alto PA-850 Login Issue After Power Shutdown — Request for Guidance

mshekh — Sat, 03 May 2025 00:50:30 GMT

Hi @lovekeeyz ,

Thanks for info, you may try the below kb article to reset the admin password.

https://knowledgebase.paloaltonetworks.com/KCSArticleDetail?id=kA10g000000ClkxCAC

Re: Palo Alto PA-850 Login Issue After Power Shutdown — Request for Guidance

TomYoung — Sat, 03 May 2025 09:30:37 GMT

Hi @lovekeeyz ,

How long did you wait before logging in? The PA-800 Series takes a while to boot up. The login prompt will be available before it actually works. I would try the same credentials again.

Thanks,

Tom

Re: Palo Alto PA-850 Login Issue After Power Shutdown — Request for Guidance

Edgar_Lapuerta — Wed, 21 Jan 2026 09:39:25 GMT

Hi everyone,

This happens to me too.

After shutting down the firewall or a restart, other admin has to reset my password for me to be able to login again.

If not, I get incorrect username/password.

It doesn't matter how much time has passed since the restart or shutdown.

I had to reset my password several times because this, so this does not happens due to password expiration.

Any hint of what it could be?

Best regards.