[o-__-o]

Cisco never requires a passsword to be set. iOS prompted for a password during the easy configuration but if you dropped in, via console or Tftp, a config over you can configure it without a pw.

Later versions did not allow passwordless ssh but still allowed it via telnet. Cisco’s ACI platform enforces password on the initial account, then with some smarts you could disable it in OpenLDAP

[bifrost]

If you consoled into easy mode you defo could set a pw there, or skip it. I still don't get why they don't make you set at least one password, but some of it also stems from the architecture of the OS AFAIK.