Ports and Protocols
Ports and Protocols
Ports
- Logical communication endpoint that exists on a computer or server.
Protocols
- Defined set of rules and conventions that govern device communication and data exchange.
Types of Ports
There are physical ports that you connect wires to and logical ports that determine where the data/traffic goes.
- Physical Ports
- Refer to the connection points on networking devices like routers, switches, servers, and computers where various cables, such as fiber optic or Cat5 cables, are plugged in to establish a network.
- Logical Ports
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When establishing communication between systems, logical ports, or sockets, are used as address numbers for data transfer. Ports enable a single IP address to support multiple simultaneous communications, each using a different port number.
Protocol Port Security HTTP 80 Insecure HTTPS 443 Secure RADIUS auth 1812 - SQL Server 1433/1434 - Docker API 2375/2376 -
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Secure Ports
Based on direction:
- Inbound Ports
- Logical communication opening on a server that is listening for a connection from a client.
- Outbound Ports
- Logical communication opening created on a client in order to call out to a server that is listening for a connection.
Grouping of Ports:
- Well-known Ports (0–1023)
- Core protocols in the TCP/IP model, such as DNS and SMTP.
- Assigned by IANA
- Registered Ports (1024–49151)
- Each vendor registers the port number (that they want to use) with IANA.
- Associated with proprietary applications.
- Example:
- 1433 - Microsoft SQL Server
- 3389 - RDP (Microsoft proprietary)
- Dynamic or private Ports (49152–65535)
- For sessions associated with well-known or registered ports, dynamically assigned and released.
- Can be used by any application without the need to be registered with IANA.
- Commonly used in gaming, instant messaging, and chat for connections.
Ports and Protocol Reference Sheet
Certainly! Here is a comprehensive reference sheet for ports and protocols that you need to study for CompTIA Security+ SY0-701: Certainly! Here is the modified reference sheet with an additional column indicating whether the protocol uses UDP, TCP, or both:
| Port | UDP/TCP | Service/Protocol | Description |
|---|---|---|---|
| 20 | TCP | FTP (File Transfer Protocol) Data | Transfers data in FTP |
| 21 | TCP | FTP (File Transfer Protocol) Control | Controls communication in FTP |
| 22 | TCP | SSH (Secure Shell) | Secure remote login and other secure network services over an unsecured network |
| 22 | TCP | SCP (Secure Copy Protocol) | Securely transfers files between hosts using SSH |
| 22 | TCP | SFTP (SSH File Transfer Protocol) | Secure file transfer over port 22 (SSH) |
| 990 | TCP | FTPS (File Transfer Protocol Secure) Control | Secure file transfer over port 990 |
| 23 | TCP | Telnet | Unencrypted text communications |
| 25 | TCP | SMTP (Simple Mail Transfer Protocol) | Email transmission |
| 49 | TCP | TACACS+ (Terminal Access Controller Access-Control System Plus) | Remote authentication |
| 53 | UDP/TCP | DNS (Domain Name System) | Resolves domain names to IP addresses |
| 67 | UDP | DHCP (Dynamic Host Configuration Protocol) Server | Assigns IP addresses to clients from a DHCP server |
| 68 | UDP | DHCP (Dynamic Host Configuration Protocol) Client | Client port for receiving IP configuration from DHCP server |
| 69 | UDP | TFTP (Trivial File Transfer Protocol) | Simple, unsecured file transfer |
| 80 | TCP | HTTP (Hypertext Transfer Protocol) | Web traffic; Insecure web browsing |
| 88 | UDP | Kerberos | Network Authentication Protocol |
| 110 | TCP | POP3 (Post Office Protocol 3) | Email retrieval from a server |
| 119 | TCP | NNTP (Network News Transfer Protocol) | Used for accessing news groups |
| 123 | UDP | NTP (Network Time Protocol) | Network time synchronization |
| 135 | UDP/TCP | RPC (Remote Procedure Call) | Facilitates communication between different system processes |
| 137 | UDP/TCP | NetBIOS | Networking protocol suite; Internal network names, file and printer sharing |
| 138 | UDP/TCP | NetBIOS | Networking protocol suite; Internal network names, file and printer sharing |
| 139 | UDP/TCP | NetBIOS | Networking protocol suite; Internal network names, file and printer sharing |
| 143 | TCP | IMAP (Internet Message Access Protocol) | Email retrieval |
| 161 | UDP | SNMP (Simple Network Management Protocol) | Network management and monitoring |
| 162 | UDP | SNMPTRAP (Simple Network Management Protocol Trap) | Sends alerts (trap messages) from SNMP devices |
| 389 | UDP/TCP | LDAP (Lightweight Directory Access Protocol) | Directory services |
| 443 | TCP | HTTPS (HTTP Secure) | Secure web traffic |
| 445 | TCP | SMB (Server Message Block) | Provides shared access to files and printers |
| 465 | TCP | SMTPS (Simple Mail Transfer Protocol Secure) | Secure email transmission |
| 587 | TCP | SMTPS (Simple Mail Transfer Protocol Secure) | Secure email transmission |
| 514 | UDP | Syslog | System logging |
| 636 | TCP | LDAPS (LDAP Secure) | Secure version of LDAP (Lightweight Directory Access Protocol) |
| 989 | TCP | FTPS (File Transfer Protocol Secure) Data | Secure file transfer data channel |
| 993 | TCP | IMAPS (Internet Message Access Protocol Secure) | Secure email retrieval using IMAP |
| 995 | TCP | POP3S (Post Office Protocol 3 Secure) | Secure email retrieval using POP3 |
| 1433 | TCP | MS-SQL-S (Microsoft SQL Server) | Microsoft SQL Server database management |
| 1645 | TCP | RADIUS TCP | Used for remote authentication, authorization, and accounting |
| 1646 | TCP | RADIUS TCP | Used for remote authentication, authorization, and accounting |
| 1812 | UDP | RADIUS Authentication | Authentication for network access |
| 1813 | UDP | RADIUS Accounting | Accounting for network access |
| 3260 | TCP | iSCSI (Internet Small Computer Systems Interface) Target | iSCSI targets for storage over IP networks |
| 3389 | TCP | RDP (Remote Desktop Protocol) | Remote desktop access |
| 5004 | UDP | SRTP (Secure Real-time Transport Protocol) | Voice over IP (VoIP) communication |
| 5060 | UDP/TCP | SIP (Session Initiation Protocol) | Voice over IP (VoIP) and multimedia communication (unencrypted) |
| 5061 | TCP | SIP-TLS (Session Initiation Protocol over TLS) | Secure VoIP and multimedia communication |
| 6514 | TCP | Syslog over TLS | Secure system logging |
| 8443 | TCP | HTTPS-alt | Alternative port for secure web traffic |
Port Security
Port security is a common security feature found on network switches that allows administrators to restrict which devices can connect to a specific port based on the network interface card’s MAC address.
Network Switches
Network switches make traffic switching decision based on the MAC address of the sending and receiving devices, through a process called transparent bridging.
- Switches prevent collisions by ensuring each port is its own collision domain.
- This allows switches to operate in full duplex mode.
Full duplex
- This means a port can both receive and send data at the same time.
CAM Table
- Content Address Memory (CAM) Table
- Stores information about the MAC addresses available on any given port.
MAC Flooding
- Randomized MAC addresses are sent to the network switch.
- When this happens, the network switch will simply fail open.
- When it fail-open, the switch begins to rebroadcast all traffic out to every port.
- More details can be found here: MAC Address Flooding
Implementing Port Security
With port security, administrators can link MAC addresses of certain devices to specific network interfaces for enhanced security.
- Any other unregistered device that tries to plug to the switchport will be rejected.
- Can be a lengthy process because each MAC address needs to be determined.
- To simplify the process, we can use “sticky MAC”
Sticky MAC
- Also known as Persistent MAC Learning
- Dynamically associate the first MAC address connected to switchport as authorized.
- This prevents other MAC addresses from connecting to the specific switch port.
- Can still be bypassed through MAC spoofing or resetting MAC Addresses.
IEEE 802.1X Protocol
802.1x is a standardized framework that provides an authentication mechanism for devices wishing to connect to wired or wireless networks.
- Port-based access control, ensuring only authenticated devices can connect.
- Supports dynamic encryption keys for secure communication.
- Common in corporate environments to enhance security.
- Uses authentication mechanisms such as RADIUS and TACACS+.
Components
- Supplicant
- Client device trying to connect.
- Authenticator
- Device through which supplicant will go through
- Network switch or access point
- Authentication Server
- Usually RADIUS, performs authentications
Authentication Mechanisms
- RADIUS
- Cross-platform
- Does NOT support remote access protocol, NetBIOS, or X.25 PAD connections
- Ideal for mixed network infrastructure.
- TACACS+
- Cisco-proprietary protocol
- Slower, relies on TCP, but adds security
- Supports all networking protocols
EAP
EAP (Extensible Authentication Protocol) is a versatile authentication framework that supports multiple methods for secure access to network resources.
- A flexible authentication framework supporting methods like EAP-TLS, EAP-TTLS, and PEAP.
- Commonly used in wireless networks (e.g., Wi-Fi) and secure network access setups.
- Provides strong security through certificate-based authentication.
More details can be found here: EAP
Transport Method
The transport method refers to the protocols used to move data across networks, primarily TCP and UDP, each serving different purposes based on their characteristics.
TCP
TCP (Transmission Control Protocol) is a reliable, connection-oriented protocol that ensures data is transferred accurately and in order between devices on a network.
- Provides reliable, ordered, and error-checked delivery of data.
- Ensures complete data transfer between sender and receiver.
- Utilizes handshakes to establish a connection before data transfer.
- Suitable for applications where data integrity is crucial, e.g. web browsing, email, file transfers.
UDP
UDP (User Datagram Protocol) is a connectionless protocol that offers fast transmission by not guaranteeing the delivery of packets, often used in real-time communications.
- Does not guarantee delivery, order, or error checking
- Has lower overhead compared to TCP, leading to faster data transmission
- Preferred for real-time applications where speed is critical, e.g. streaming, VoIP, online gaming.