Port 213IPX
IPX, or Internetwork Packet Exchange, is a network layer protocol used primarily in Novell NetWare environments to facilitate internetwork communication and routing. It was widely adopted within enterprise local area networks (LANs) during the late 1980s and 1990s before the dominance of TCP/IP. IPX provides connectionless datagram service that offers fast and efficient data delivery between nodes on a network..
- transport
- tcp · udp
- in transit
- cleartext
- assignment
- official
- risk
- 4/10
- lookups
- 13,892
2 transports registered
payload readable on path
registered with iana
caution
rank 254 of 993 · top 26%
Technical Details
what runs on :213Internetwork Packet Exchange (IPX) is a Network Layer protocol in the IPX/SPX protocol suite used primarily in Novell NetWare networks. Designed for fast, efficient routing within LANs, IPX provides a connectionless datagram service that supports dynamic routing thanks to routing protocols like RIP for IPX and Service Advertising Protocol (SAP). Each IPX packet contains network number, node address, and socket number, allowing effective communication across multiple network segments.
IPX operates independently of the underlying hardware, making it suitable for various data link layer technologies such as Ethernet and Token Ring. The protocol handles addressing and routing within complex internetworks by facilitating the forwarding of packets without establishing a session, resulting in lower protocol overhead.
While IPX was extensively deployed in NetWare environments, its popularity declined as TCP/IP became the standard networking protocol. TCP/IP offers better interoperability, internet compatibility, and improved features, leading to the gradual phase-out of IPX from enterprise and campus networks.
Security Information
exposure of :213risk score
4/ 10caution
worth attention. how exposed you are depends on configuration — don't leave it reachable from the internet without a reason.
network services averages 3.9 across 604 ports — this one sits 0.1 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 · udp
udp is connectionless — source addresses are trivially spoofed and it is a reflection favourite
security overview
Common vulnerabilities associated with IPX include:
- Lack of encryption and authentication, as it was designed in a more trusted networking era.
- Exposure to spoofing, session hijacking, or man-in-the-middle attacks due to absence of security controls.
- Potential information disclosure through unauthenticated broadcast packets such as SAP advertisements.
To mitigate risks related to IPX:
- Disable IPX on modern networks where it is obsolete and unnecessary.
- Implement network segmentation and access controls to reduce exposure.
- Use firewall rules to block IPX traffic at network perimeters.
- Migrate to secure, current networking protocols such as TCP/IP with encrypted communication methods like TLS.
Related Ports
the 8 most looked-up other ports in network services — 604 ports carry that label.
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|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| :9080 | Groove RPC | TCPUDP | Web Services | caution | 70.8k |
| :6543 | Jetnet | UDP | Network Services | caution | 65.3k |
| :5938 | TeamViewer | TCPUDP | Remote Access | caution | 65.0k |
| :8291 | Winbox MikroTik Admin | TCP | Security | caution | 62.9k |
| :3233 | WhiskerControl Protocol | TCPUDP | Network Services | caution | 61.9k |
| :3268 | Microsoft Global Catalog (GC) | TCPUDP | Security | caution | 54.6k |
| :135 | Microsoft EPMAP | TCPUDP | Security | caution | 51.9k |
| :3128 | Tatsoft Default HTTP Proxy | TCP | Web Services | caution | 46.8k |
risk mix of the 8 listed
- caution100%
0 of 8 encrypted