Port 3968iAnywhere DBNS

Port assigned to the iAnywhere DBNS service for iAnywhere database environments.

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

also known as iAnywhere Database Name Service

Technical Details

what runs on :3968

DBNS is a proprietary discovery and name-resolution service registered on both TCP and UDP port 3968. Clients use it to locate a database server by its configured name and obtain connection information; subsequent database traffic normally goes to the discovered SQL Anywhere server, commonly on that server's configured SQL Anywhere port such as TCP 2638. The DBNS wire protocol and framing are product-specific, and the service should not be confused with the SQL Anywhere database listener itself.

Security Information

exposure of :3968

risk score

2/ 10safe

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

databases averages 3.9 across 133 ports — this one sits 1.9 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

DBNS is generally an internal discovery service and should not be exposed to the public Internet. An exposed listener may disclose database-server names and connection details, and its presence can help an attacker identify legacy SQL Anywhere infrastructure; enforce network access controls and restrict it to trusted client networks.

Record

iana registry entry

port: :3968
service: iAnywhere DBNS
transport: TCPUDP
encryption: cleartext
assignment: iana registered
risk: 2/10safe
category: Databases Network Services
usage: This port is used by the iAnywhere Database Name Server (DBNS) to help clients discover or resolve iAnywhere/SQL Anywhere database servers. It is normally encountered inside networks running older Sybase/iAnywhere database deployments, rather than as the database connection endpoint itself.
lookups: 0rank 993
added: 2026-09-09
updated: 2026-09-22
references: IANA service name registry — port 3968

Something wrong?

This record is maintained by the engineers who use port 3968. 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 2026-09-22.

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 133 in databases →

the 8 most looked-up other ports in databases — 133 ports carry that label.

port	service	proto	category	risk	views
:8882	Atlasz Secure App Server	TCP	Web Services	caution	66.9k
:9001	ETL Service Manager	TCPUDP	Databases	caution	28.6k
:2484	Oracle SSL Listener	TCPUDPtls	Security	caution	25.0k
:5495	Applix TM1 Admin	TCP	Databases	caution	24.8k
:591	FileMaker Web Sharing	TCP	Web Services	caution	23.1k
:1521	Oracle TNS Listener	TCP	Security	caution	19.6k
:21001	AMLFilter Admin	TCP	Security	caution	19.2k
:18206	Audition FAM DB	TCPUDP	Databases	caution	19.1k

risk mix of the 8 listed

caution100%

1 of 8 encrypted

Port :3968iAnywhere DBNS

Technical Details

Security Information

Related Ports

Port 3968iAnywhere DBNS