What is the significance of port 49153?
What's the need for open ports and what are the steps to secure them? An article I was going through had the following information regarding the use of each port -
Ports 135 used by svchost.exe, running "RPC Endpoint manager", RpcSs and MSMQ
Ports 445 used by "System" (?)
Ports 2103,2105,2107 being used by MSMQ
Port 49152 used by "wininit.exe - Windows Start-Up application"
Port 49153 used by svchost.exe, running "TCP/IP NetBIOS Helper", "DHCP Client" and "Windows Event Log"
Port 49170 used by services.exe
Your question should not be "How do I secure these ports" but rather "How do I secure the services listening on these ports".
There is a wealth of knowledge on well known ports like port 49153 available on the internet and the services that run behind them. I would recommend researching the hardening of the IIS / Windows server and go from there. It's good that you've taken a proactive approach to assess your web server, and understand how it functions. It's not uncommon for known good services to initiate communications and open ports dynamically, so even if your research to a high number port comes empty handed it's not necessarily something to worry about. For the most part Windows IIS is pretty secure out of the box and doesn't require too much tweaking, but just ensure that you're updating your server with patches regularly. These days most attackers will focus on the web application running on your server, rather than attacking the server itself.
Using TCPView will also provide you with a look into what services are utilizing the ports.
Answer (1)
Port 49153 is significant because it falls within the range of ports known as "Dynamic" or "Private" ports. These ports are typically used for dynamic allocation by applications and services. Here's a detailed explanation of its significance:
Dynamic and Private Ports
- Port Range: 49152-65535
- Purpose: These ports are not assigned to any specific service by the Internet Assigned Numbers Authority (IANA). Instead, they are used for dynamic or private purposes, meaning that applications can use these ports for temporary communication purposes without the need for centralized coordination.
Usage in Applications
Ephemeral Ports: Many operating systems use ports in this range as ephemeral ports, which are temporary ports allocated by the operating system to client applications when they initiate outbound connections.
Custom Applications: Developers can choose to use these ports for custom applications, especially in scenarios where they need to avoid conflicts with well-known or registered ports.
Examples
1. NAT (Network Address Translation): Routers often use ports in this range to translate private IP addresses to a public IP address, allowing multiple devices on a local network to share a single public IP.
2. Peer-to-Peer (P2P) Applications: P2P applications like BitTorrent may use ports in this range for peer connections.
3. RPC (Remote Procedure Call): Some RPC services dynamically allocate ports from this range for inter-process communication.
Operating System Behavior
- Windows: By default, Windows may use ports in the range 49152-65535 for dynamic port allocation. This can be configured if necessary.
- Unix/Linux: These systems also allocate ephemeral ports from a similar range, though the exact range may differ slightly depending on the configuration.
Security Considerations
Firewall Configuration: When configuring firewalls, it's important to understand that blocking all dynamic ports can disrupt normal application behavior. Firewalls should be configured to allow necessary dynamic port ranges for the applications and services being used. Monitoring and Logging: Administrators should monitor and log the use of dynamic ports to detect any unusual activity, as malicious actors may exploit these ports for unauthorized access or data exfiltration.
Summary
Port 49153, as part of the dynamic/private port range (49152-65535), is primarily used for temporary and dynamic allocation by various applications and services. Understanding its role helps in configuring systems and firewalls appropriately, ensuring both security and proper functionality of networked applications.