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Port 113Ident

Ident, operating on port 113, is a protocol primarily used by Internet Relay Chat (IRC) servers to obtain the identity of a client attempting to connect. It provides simple identification by querying the connecting user’s ident daemon, which reports the username associated with a TCP connection. Although its use has declined due to security concerns and shifts to newer authentication methods, ident remains noteworthy historically in facilitating user management and access control in IRC networks..

inSecurityNetwork ServicesVoice and Chat
transport
tcp

single transport

in transit
cleartext

payload readable on path

assignment
official

registered with iana

risk
4/10

caution

lookups
8,259

rank 607 of 993 · top 61%

1 other service is registered on port 113. compare all 2 →

Technical Details

what runs on :113

The Ident protocol, defined in RFC 1413, operates as an identification service that runs on the server-side of a network connection to report information about the user initiating that connection. When a user tries to establish a connection to a service such as an IRC server, the server sends a query back to the client’s ident daemon on port 113. The daemon responds with the username that owns the client-side port of the connection, allowing the server to associate the connection with a specific user account.

Technically, Ident is a simple, plaintext protocol relying on clear-text TCP queries and responses. Its simplicity enables it to be easily implemented and deployed; however, it does not provide authentication or validation beyond reporting the username. Typically, ident replies include user ID, operating system info, or an error message if the daemon is disabled or blocked by a firewall.

Today, Ident’s relevance has diminished due to security issues, firewall restrictions, and the adoption of more robust authentication systems such as SASL or OAuth for user identification. However, some legacy IRC servers and specialized applications might still request ident responses when establishing initial client sessions.

Security Information

exposure of :113

risk score

4/ 10caution

worth attention. how exposed you are depends on configuration — don't leave it reachable from the internet without a reason.

security averages 3.8 across 216 ports — this one sits 0.2 above.

in transit

cleartext

credentials and payloads are readable by anyone on path

assignment

official

registered with iana for this service — scanners fingerprint it by number

reachable over

tcp

every listening transport is another surface to filter at the edge

security overview

Ident introduces security concerns primarily due to its transmission of plaintext user identification data, which can be intercepted by attackers to gather information about system users. This reconnaissance can be leveraged for targeted attacks, social engineering, or brute-force attempts. Additionally, ident daemons can sometimes leak sensitive user data or be susceptible to denial-of-service attacks if improperly configured.

Common mitigations include disabling the Ident service on client machines, especially when not explicitly required. Firewalls should be configured to reject inbound TCP connections on port 113. Services relying on user identification should move towards more secure, encrypted authentication mechanisms. When ident must be enabled, administrators should ensure it is properly configured to minimize data exposure, limit information sharing, and monitor for anomalous requests.

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risk mix of the 8 listed

  • caution100%

3 of 8 encrypted