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Microsoft Global Catalog SSL
Port 3269 is used by Microsoft's Global Catalog service operating over SSL/TLS encryption. This port facilitates secure access to a forest-wide directory in Active Directory, enabling encrypted LDAP searches that span multiple domains. Utilizing SSL ensures sensitive directory queries and authentication details remain protected during transmission..
Microsoft's Global Catalog (GC) is an integral component of Active Directory, providing a searchable forest-wide directory that consolidates information from all domains. Unlike the typical Lightweight Directory Access Protocol (LDAP) port 389 or global catalog port 3268 which are unencrypted by default, port 3269 specifically handles secure LDAP (LDAPS) traffic between clients and the Global Catalog.
The secure nature of port 3269 means that it leverages SSL/TLS to encrypt data exchange, which includes directory queries and potential authentication credentials. This encryption is crucial in enterprise environments handling sensitive identity information and cross-domain trust relationships. When clients connect over port 3269, SSL negotiation ensures data confidentiality and integrity between the client and global catalog server.
Administrators commonly configure domain controllers with the global catalog role to listen on port 3269 for secure queries. This enables safe enumeration of users, groups, and other forest-wide resources without exposing them to the risk of interception or unauthorized access. Port 3269 is thus critical in multi-domain Active Directory forests with high security requirements.