Port 8231Home Networking Control Protocol (HNCP)

HNCP routers exchange home-network configuration and topology information over UDP, normally on a local link.

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

also known as hncp-udp-port, HNCP, DNCP

Technical Details

what runs on :8231

HNCP uses UDP port 8231 and is built on the Dynamic Network Configuration Protocol (DNCP). It has no connection handshake: routers exchange DNCP state over link-local multicast and use unicast exchanges where needed to obtain state. DNCP messages carry versioned, sequence-numbered data and TLVs; HNCP uses that shared state to advertise home-network information such as prefixes and connectivity. It is intended for communication on a local network link, not as a general internet-routable service.

Security Information

exposure of :8231

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 2.6 across 1,813 ports — this one sits 0.6 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

udp

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

security overview

HNCP traffic is not encrypted by default, and the protocol relies on participating nodes being on a trusted local link rather than providing cryptographic authentication. A malicious or compromised node with access to that link may be able to inject misleading configuration or topology information. The port should not be exposed to the public internet; link-local operation normally limits its reach, but bridged or misconfigured networks can broaden access.

Record

iana registry entry

port: :8231
service: Home Networking Control Protocol (HNCP)
transport: UDP
encryption: cleartext
assignment: iana registered
risk: 2/10safe
category: Network Services
usage: This is the IANA port for HNCP, a standardized protocol used by participating home-network routers to coordinate configuration. Engineers are most likely to encounter it on a LAN running HNCP-capable router software, rather than on an internet-facing service.
lookups: 0rank 993
added: 2026-10-14
updated: 2026-10-14
references: IANA service name registry — port 8231
RFC 7788

Something wrong?

This record is maintained by the engineers who use port 8231. 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 2026-10-14.

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edit this record →back to the registry

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all 1,813 in network services →

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risk mix of the 8 listed

caution100%

0 of 8 encrypted

Port :8231Home Networking Control Protocol (HNCP)

Technical Details

Security Information

Related Ports

Port 8231Home Networking Control Protocol (HNCP)