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TOOLS  /  PORT LOOKUP

Port Number Lookup

Look up what runs on any TCP/UDP port plus our security notes on real-world attack patterns. Curated from the IANA registry with security-engineering context.

    What it does

    Every nmap output and firewall log entry is a port number. Knowing what runs there — and what attackers do with it — is foundational. Our lookup combines IANA’s well-known port registrations with security-engineering notes drawn from real-world incident reports: which ports are top initial-access vectors (3389 RDP, 22 SSH, 445 SMB), which carry C2 traffic (443, 53), and which signal misconfiguration if exposed (2375 Docker, 6379 Redis, 9200 Elasticsearch).

    How to use it

    1. Enter any port number (0–65535). Click "Look up".
    2. Get service name, protocol (TCP/UDP), description, and a security note where one applies.
    3. Range field tells you whether IANA classifies it as well-known, registered, or ephemeral/dynamic.

    Common use cases

    nmap interpretation Translate port-scan results into "this is a domain controller" or "this is a misconfigured Elasticsearch cluster".
    Firewall audit When you see an unexpected outbound rule, check the destination port. Anomalies often hide in 4444, 6667, 8333, 9999.
    Egress filtering design Decide which ports to block at the egress proxy. Compare your allowlist against this list.
    Onboarding for junior analysts A reference for "what is port X" without breaking flow.

    Frequently asked questions

    Are all 65 536 ports listed? +
    No — we curated ~80 ports that matter for security work. Anything outside the list returns a range classification (well-known / registered / ephemeral) plus a generic message.
    Why does port 53 say "tunneling"? +
    DNS (53) is allowed almost everywhere, so attackers tunnel C2 traffic through it (dnscat2, iodine, Cobalt Strike). Monitor TXT-record query volume and length distributions.
    Is high-port (50 000+) traffic suspicious? +
    Usually no — those are ephemeral client-side ports. But INBOUND traffic to a high port can be a reverse shell or non-standard service. Context matters.

    Related tools

    Related coverage on Ciphers Security

    Free for everyone, no signup required. Tool runs at /tools/port-lookup/ — bookmark or share.

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