Loading...
IRC over SSL
Port 6697 is commonly used to deliver encrypted Internet Relay Chat (IRC) communications over SSL/TLS. It provides an additional security layer to safeguard chat messages against eavesdropping and interception during transit. While unofficial, this port is broadly adopted by modern IRC servers aiming to protect user privacy and credentials through encryption..
Internet Relay Chat (IRC) is an established text-based communication protocol allowing real-time messaging via IRC servers and clients. Traditionally, IRC operates without encryption over default ports like 6667, which exposes transmitted data to potential interception.
To address security concerns, IRC over SSL/TLS encapsulates the communication channel with encryption, ensuring confidentiality and integrity for user credentials, messages, and commands. Port 6697 is widely recognized as the default port for SSL-secured IRC traffic, providing a familiar destination for clients supporting encrypted connections.
Implementing IRC over port 6697 typically involves configuring IRC daemons to support SSL/TLS encryption and generating valid server certificates. Clients must also support SSL/TLS, often verifying server certificates or allowing manual overrides for self-signed ones. This setup significantly enhances the security posture over plaintext IRC communications.