Common Ports and their Uses
Prasnjit Kumar sharma
Ports are crucial in networking, as they facilitate communication between devices and applications. They act as endpoints in the networking process, enabling data transfer. We’ve compiled a list of commonly used ports to help you understand their significance in cyber security.
Port Number | Usage |
7 | Echo, The echo server returns data is received on an originating source. |
20 | File Transfer Protocol (FTP) Data Transfer |
21 | File Transfer Protocol (FTP) Command Control |
22 | Secure Shell (SSH) |
23 | Telnet - Remote login service, unencrypted text messages |
25 | Simple Mail Transfer Protocol (SMTP) E-mail Routing |
53 | Domain Name System (DNS) service |
67-68 | DHCP/BOOTP, It provides a connectionless service model with the help of User Datagram Protocol (UDP). |
69 | Trivial File Transfer Protocol (TFTP), It transfers files without the session establishment. |
70 | Gopher, It provides gateways to other information systems such as the World-Wide Web, WHOIS WAIS, Archie, etc. It allows the search and retrieve of information from different locations easily. |
80 | Hypertext Transfer Protocol (HTTP) used in World Wide Web |
110 | Post Office Protocol (POP3) is used by e-mail clients to retrieve e-mail from a server |
119 | Network News Transfer Protocol (NNTP) |
123 | Network Time Protocol (NTP) |
137-139 | NetBIOS, It is not a protocol, but it is used in combination with IP with an over TCP/IP (NBT) protocol. It helps to interconnect Microsoft Windows machines. |
143 | Internet Message Access Protocol (IMAP) Management of Digital Mail |
161 | Simple Network Management Protocol (SNMP) |
179 | BGP, It is used by ISP (Internet Service Provider) to maintain traffic processing and huge routing tables. |
194 | Internet Relay Chat (IRC) |
443 | HTTP Secure (HTTPS) HTTP over TLS/SSL |
389 | LDAP, LDAP provides access and maintenance for distributed directory information. It is based on the ITU-T X.500 standard, but it has been altered and simplified to work over TCP/IP networks. |
443 | HTTP Secure (HTTPS), It provides the same functions as HTTP, but it uses a secure connection with the help of SSL or TLS. |
636 | Lightweight Directory Access Protocol over TLS/SSL (LDAPS), LDAPS provides the same functions as LDAP, but it uses a secure connection with the help of SSL or TLS. |
520 | RIP, It uses hop count to find the best path between the source and the destination network. |
Transmission Control Protocol (TCP) Ports
FTP (File Transfer Protocol) - Ports 20 and 21: FTP is a widely used protocol for transferring files.
SSH (Secure Shell) - Port 22: SSH allows secure communication and remote access to devices over an unsecured network.
Telnet - Port 23: Telnet is a text-based protocol that allows you to interact with remote devices over networks.
SMTP (Simple Mail Transfer Protocol) - Port 25: SMTP is a protocol for sending and receiving emails.
DNS (Domain Name System) - Port 53: DNS translates human-readable domain names into IP addresses to facilitate communication between devices.
HTTP (Hypertext Transfer Protocol) - Port 80: HTTP is the primary protocol used for communication on the World Wide Web.
POP3 (Post Office Protocol 3) - Port 110: POP3 is a protocol for receiving emails from your email server.
IMAP (Internet Message Access Protocol) - Port 143: IMAP is a more advanced email protocol that allows you to access and manage your emails on the email server.
HTTPS (Hypertext Transfer Protocol Secure) - Port 443: HTTPS is an encrypted and secure version of HTTP.
RDP (Remote Desktop Protocol) - Port 3389: RDP is a Microsoft-developed protocol for remotely accessing Windows devices.
User Datagram Protocol (UDP) Ports
DHCP (Dynamic Host Configuration Protocol) - Ports 67 and 68: DHCP is used to allocate IP addresses to devices within a network.
DNS (Domain Name System) - Port 53: (same function as in TCP)
TFTP (Trivial File Transfer Protocol) - Port 69: TFTP is a simplified version of FTP for quick and easy file transfer.
SNMP (Simple Network Management Protocol) - Port 161: SNMP enables monitoring and managing network devices, including printers, routers, and switches.
NTP (Network Time Protocol) - Port 123: NTP is a standard protocol used to synchronize time across network devices.
Understanding these common ports and their functions is essential for network administrators and cyber-security professionals. Proper knowledge of these ports will help you identify and assess potential security risks, as well as implement robust network defense measures.
Registered Ports
These ports range from 1024 to 49151 are not controlled or assigned. However, they can be registered to prevent redundancy.
Dynamic Ports
These ports range from 49152 to 65535, also known as private or non-reserved ports. These ports are not registered, assigned, or controlled. Dynamic ports are used for private or temporary ports.
Here is a list of some Registered and Dynamic ports.
Port number | Service |
1025 | Microsoft RPC |
1026-1029 | Windows Messenger |
1080 | SOCKS Proxy |
1080 | MyDoom |
1194 | OpenVP |
1214 | Kazaa |
1241 | Nessus |
131 | 1 Dell OpenManage |
1337 | WASTE |
1433-1434 | Microsoft SQL |
1512 | WINS |
1589 | Cisco VQP |
1701 | L2TP |
1723 | MS PPTP |
1725 | Steam |
1741 | Cisco Works 2000 |
1755 | MS Media Server |
1812-1813 | RADIUS |
1863 | MSN |
1985 | Cisco HSRP |
2000 | Cisco SCCP |
2002 | Cisco ACS |
2049 | NFS |
2082-2083 | cPanel |
2100 | Oracle XDB |
2222 | DirectAdmin |
2302 | Halo |
2483-2484 | Oracle DB |
2745 | Bagle.H |
2967 | Symantec AV |
3050 | Interbase DB |
3074 | XBOX Live |
3124 | HTTP Proxy |
3127 | MyDoom |
3128 | HTTP Proxy |
3222 | GLBP |
3260 | iSCSI Target |
3306 | MySQL |
3389 | Terminal Server |
3689 | iTunes |
3690 | Subversion |
3724 | World of Warcraft |
3784-3785 | Ventrilo |
4333 | mSQL |
4444 | Blaster |
4664 | Google Desktop |
4672 | eMule |
4899 | Radmin |
5000 | UPnP |
5001 | iperf |
5004-5005 | RTP |
5050 | Yahoo! Messenger |
5060 | SIP |
5190 | AIM/ICQ |
5222-5223 | XMPP/Jabber |
5432 | PostgreSQL |
12345 | NetBus |
13720-13721 | NetBackup |
14567 | Battlefield |
15118 | Dipnet/Oddbob |
19226 | AdminSecure |
19638 | Ensim |
20000 | Usermin |
24800 | Synergy |
25999 | Xfire |
27015 | Half-Life |
27374 | Sub7 |
28960 | Call of Duty |
31337 | Back Orifice |
33434+ | traceroute |
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Written by
Prasnjit Kumar sharma
Prasnjit Kumar sharma
I am Prasnjit Kumar Sharma from Madhubani Bihar. I have completed my B. Tech IT from Sri Ramakrishna engineering college and I have done specialization on Threat handling and risk analysis. Currently, i am working with the L&T Technology on the connected security framework project, and recently I have completed my CISSP(Certified Information System Security Professional) certification from simplilearn. Along with this, now I am a candidate of (ISC)2.