Port 4444Kerberos 524

Legacy Kerberos v5-to-v4 ticket conversion service, typically provided by krb524d on TCP/UDP 4444.

transport: tcp · udp
in transit: cleartext
assignment: official
risk: 4/10
lookups: 0

also known as krb524, krb524d

Technical Details

what runs on :4444

KRB524 clients send structured binary Kerberos conversion requests to krb524d, normally over UDP 4444, with TCP also assigned for deployments that require it. The daemon validates the supplied Kerberos v5 credentials and returns a Kerberos v4 ticket or an error; it is a ticket-conversion protocol rather than a general-purpose application service. Kerberos KDC traffic normally uses port 88, while KRB524 exists only for legacy v4 compatibility.

Security Information

exposure of :4444

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 217 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 · udp

udp is connectionless — source addresses are trivially spoofed and it is a reflection favourite

security overview

This service should not normally be exposed to the public internet. Kerberos v4 uses obsolete cryptography and exposing a conversion endpoint increases the attack surface around authentication tickets; restrict it to trusted hosts or retire it where v4 compatibility is no longer required. IANA also reports unauthorized use of this assignment, so internet scans or unexpected listeners on 4444 should be investigated rather than assumed to be legitimate KRB524 traffic.

Record

iana registry entry

port: :4444
service: Kerberos 524
transport: TCPUDP
encryption: cleartext
assignment: iana registered
risk: 4/10caution
category: Security System
usage: Port 4444 is used by krb524d to convert Kerberos v5 credentials into legacy Kerberos v4 tickets for compatibility with older applications. It is an obsolete Kerberos service, distinct from the primary Kerberos KDC service on port 88; the assignment is registered to B Clifford Neuman.
lookups: 0rank 994
added: 2026-08-19
updated: 2026-08-19
references: IANA service name registry — port 4444

Something wrong?

This record is maintained by the engineers who use port 4444. 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 2026-08-19.

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risk mix of the 8 listed

caution100%

3 of 8 encrypted

Port :4444Kerberos 524

Technical Details

Security Information

Related Ports

Port 4444Kerberos 524