Port 5247CAPWAP Data

CAPWAP Data on port 5247 facilitates the management and provisioning of wireless access points by carrying encapsulated wireless data packets between controllers and APs. Defined by RFC 5415, it separates data from control traffic (usually on port 5246) to maintain efficient wireless network operations, enabling scalability, flexibility, and simplified management..

transport
udp

single transport

in transit
cleartext

payload readable on path

assignment
official

registered with iana

risk
4/10

caution

lookups
17,929

rank 151 of 993 · top 15%

Technical Details

what runs on :5247

The Control And Provisioning of Wireless Access Points (CAPWAP) protocol, defined in RFC 5415, standardizes the communication between Wireless LAN Controllers (WLCs) and lightweight Access Points (APs). Port 5247 is primarily used for CAPWAP Data messages, carrying user wireless data between APs and controllers across a secure and manageable tunnel, distinct from control traffic typically on port 5246.

CAPWAP operates by encapsulating IEEE 802.11 frames within UDP packets, allowing centralized management of multiple APs without requiring full routing capabilities on each AP. By centralizing control, network administrators can more effectively deploy firmware updates, enforce security policies, and manage network congestion.

Typically, CAPWAP data tunnels streamline wireless network architectures in enterprise environments by separating management/control and data planes, thus improving scalability and supporting rapid access point deployment. This separation aids in reducing latency for end-user data and improves reliability.

Security Information

exposure of :5247

risk 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 security considerations for CAPWAP over port 5247 include:

  • Unauthorized interception or hijacking of CAPWAP tunnels leading to potential data eavesdropping or injection.
  • Spoofing or man-in-the-middle attacks during AP provisioning phases where authentication is critical.
  • Exposure of management interfaces on unsecured networks that may increase attack surface.

Mitigations include:

  • Enforcing DTLS encryption of CAPWAP tunnels to ensure both confidentiality and integrity of data traffic.
  • Implementing strong mutual authentication (e.g., X.509 certificates) between controllers and APs.
  • Limiting CAPWAP communication via network segmentation, firewall rules, and access control lists.
  • Keeping controller and AP firmware updated to patch known vulnerabilities, and monitoring for anomalous traffic indicative of attacks.

the 8 most looked-up other ports in network services — 604 ports carry that label.

risk mix of the 8 listed

  • caution100%

0 of 8 encrypted