Port 2628DICT Protocol

DICT serves dictionary definitions and word matches, commonly via dictd on TCP port 2628.

transport: tcp · udp
in transit: cleartext
assignment: official
risk: 2/10
lookups: 0

also known as dictd, Dictionary Server Protocol

Technical Details

what runs on :2628

DICT is a line-oriented, command-and-response protocol defined primarily for TCP. A server sends an initial greeting, after which clients issue commands such as DEFINE, MATCH, SHOW, CLIENT, and QUIT; responses use numeric status codes, and multiline text is terminated by a line containing a single period. Normal deployments use TCP port 2628; the IANA assignment also lists UDP.

Security Information

exposure of :2628

risk score

2/ 10safe

routine exposure. this port is rarely the way in on its own — keep it patched and logged and move on.

network services averages 2.9 across 1,081 ports — this one sits 0.9 below.

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

DICT traffic is unencrypted by default. Internet exposure generally presents a low-risk dictionary lookup service, but it can disclose available dictionaries, consume server resources, or expose vulnerabilities in the particular server implementation; authenticated deployments should not send credentials over an unprotected connection.

Record

iana registry entry

port: :2628
service: DICT Protocol
transport: TCPUDP
encryption: cleartext
assignment: iana registered
risk: 2/10safe
category: Network Services System
usage: DICT is a dictionary lookup protocol used by clients to retrieve definitions, matches, and database information from dictionary servers such as dictd. Engineers typically encounter it on TCP port 2628, although the IANA assignment also lists UDP.
lookups: 0rank 994
added: 2026-09-10
updated: 2026-09-10
references: IANA service name registry — port 2628

Something wrong?

This record is maintained by the engineers who use port 2628. Every field on it is editable — change what's wrong, say how you know, and a reviewer publishes it, usually within a minute. Last touched 2026-09-10.

01edit any field on a page of its own
02a model checks it for accuracy and spam
03clean and confident goes live immediately

edit this record →back to the registry

Related Ports

all 1,081 in network services →

the 8 most looked-up other ports in network services — 1,081 ports carry that label.

port	service	proto	category	risk	views
: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

Port :2628DICT Protocol

Technical Details

Security Information

Related Ports

Port 2628DICT Protocol