Port 5246CAPWAP Control
CAPWAP (Control And Provisioning of Wireless Access Points) is a protocol standardized in RFC 5415, designed to unify and streamline the management, control, and provisioning of multiple wireless access points (APs) from a centralized wireless controller. Port 5246 specifically handles the control messages exchanged between controllers and APs, allowing centralized management of configurations, firmware updates, and security policies over a secure management channel..
- transport
- udp
- in transit
- cleartext
- assignment
- official
- risk
- 4/10
- lookups
- 13,214
single transport
payload readable on path
registered with iana
caution
rank 281 of 993 · top 28%
Technical Details
what runs on :5246The Control And Provisioning of Wireless Access Points (CAPWAP) protocol facilitates communication between wireless controllers and access points. Defined in RFC 5415, it separates control and data traffic, with port 5246 dedicated exclusively to control messages which manage AP configuration, firmware updates, authentication, and radio parameter management. CAPWAP provides an abstraction layer to enable uniform management regardless of AP vendor, easing deployment of large-scale wireless networks.
CAPWAP operates predominantly over UDP on port 5246 for its control path. The control messages are encapsulated into CAPWAP packets, which can optionally be encrypted to protect confidentiality and integrity. This control channel supports capabilities negotiation, configuration messages, and management commands necessary to set up and operate APs, as well as to maintain operational state.
In production environments, CAPWAP simplifies deployment and management of wireless infrastructure by enabling centralized provisioning and monitoring. This orchestration reduces manual AP configuration and ensures uniform policy enforcement across the wireless fabric, which is crucial for consistent service delivery and network scalability.
Security Information
exposure of :5246risk score
4/ 10caution
worth attention. how exposed you are depends on configuration — don't leave it reachable from the internet without a reason.
network services averages 3.9 across 604 ports — this one sits 0.1 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
udp
udp is connectionless — source addresses are trivially spoofed and it is a reflection favourite
security overview
Common Vulnerabilities
- Unencrypted control messages may be intercepted, allowing for eavesdropping on sensitive configuration or authentication data.
- Lack of authentication mechanisms in control sessions can lead to spoofing of controllers or APs.
- Man-in-the-middle attacks could manipulate CAPWAP exchange, leading to rogue AP provisioning or denial of service.
- Exploitation of vulnerabilities in controller firmware via malformed control messages resulting in remote code execution or service disruption.
Common Mitigations
- Enable DTLS (Datagram Transport Layer Security) to encrypt CAPWAP control traffic, protecting confidentiality and integrity.
- Apply strong mutual authentication between controller and APs to prevent unauthorized devices from joining the network.
- Isolate CAPWAP traffic within dedicated network segments or VLANs, restricting access to management interfaces.
- Monitor CAPWAP communication for anomalies that could indicate attacks or misconfigurations.
- Keep controller and AP firmware regularly updated with vendor security patches to mitigate known vulnerabilities.
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risk mix of the 8 listed
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0 of 8 encrypted