Port 4551IEEE 802.21 Media Independent Handover (MIH)

Port 4551 carries IEEE 802.21 Media Independent Handover signaling between mobility-aware devices and networks.

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

also known as ieee-mih, MIH Services

Technical Details

what runs on :4551

IEEE 802.21 MIH signaling uses port 4551 over both TCP and UDP. The protocol exchanges binary, structured MIH messages between Media Independent Handover Functions, including event, command, and information services used to discover links and coordinate handovers. TCP provides a connection-oriented transport, while UDP can be used where datagram signaling is appropriate; the MIH protocol does not use a human-readable request/response format. Transport-level protection such as IPsec or TLS may be deployed, but encryption is not inherent in the port assignment.

Security Information

exposure of :4551

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 3.0 across 978 ports — this one sits 1.0 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

MIH signaling can influence link selection and handover behavior, so an exposed endpoint could be probed or sent unauthorized mobility messages if deployments lack peer authentication and access controls. It is generally intended for trusted device or operator-network signaling, not direct Internet exposure; restrict it to known peers and use cryptographic protection where supported.

Record

iana registry entry

port: :4551
service: IEEE 802.21 Media Independent Handover (MIH)
transport: TCPUDP
encryption: cleartext
assignment: iana registered
risk: 2/10safe
category: Network Services Mobile
usage: This port carries Media Independent Handover services for coordinating mobility across heterogeneous access technologies such as Wi-Fi and cellular networks. Engineers typically encounter it in multimode mobile devices, access networks, and mobility-management systems rather than general-purpose Internet hosts.
lookups: 0rank 994
added: 2026-09-06
updated: 2026-09-06
references: IANA service name registry — port 4551
RFC 5677

Something wrong?

This record is maintained by the engineers who use port 4551. 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 2026-09-06.

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edit this record →back to the registry

Related Ports

all 978 in network services →

the 8 most looked-up other ports in network services — 978 ports carry that label.

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: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 :4551IEEE 802.21 Media Independent Handover (MIH)

Technical Details

Security Information

Related Ports

Port 4551IEEE 802.21 Media Independent Handover (MIH)