Port 8472Overlay Transport Virtualization (OTV)

Cisco OTV carries Layer 2 Ethernet traffic across an IP transport between overlay edge devices.

transport: tcp · udp
in transit: cleartext
assignment: official
risk: 6/10
lookups: 0

also known as otv, Cisco OTV

Technical Details

what runs on :8472

OTV encapsulates Ethernet frames in an IP-based overlay between OTV edge devices; normal deployments use UDP port 8472 for the data plane, with OTV control-plane mechanisms maintaining reachability and site information. The outer transport is commonly multicast or unicast IP depending on the deployment, and the encapsulated traffic is not encrypted by OTV itself. UDP/8472 is distinct from VXLAN's UDP/4789.

Security Information

exposure of :8472

risk score

6/ 10risk

treat as sensitive. widely scanned and regularly exploited when reachable — restrict it to known sources.

network services averages 2.8 across 1,173 ports — this one sits 3.2 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

tcp · udp

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

security overview

OTV should be restricted to trusted data-center transport networks rather than exposed to the public Internet. Because native OTV does not provide confidentiality and can extend Layer 2 traffic across sites, an exposed or insufficiently filtered endpoint could enable unauthorized overlay participation or access to bridged networks; use network filtering and an appropriate encrypted underlay where required.

Record

iana registry entry

port: :8472
service: Overlay Transport Virtualization (OTV)
transport: TCPUDP
encryption: cleartext
assignment: iana registered
risk: 6/10risk
category: Network Services Virtualization
usage: OTV is a Cisco data-center interconnect technology that extends selected Layer 2 VLANs across an IP network. Engineers typically encounter UDP/8472 between OTV edge devices, while the IANA assignment also covers TCP.
lookups: 0rank 994
added: 2026-09-14
updated: 2026-09-14
references: IANA service name registry — port 8472

Something wrong?

This record is maintained by the engineers who use port 8472. 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 2026-09-14.

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all 1,173 in network services →

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risk mix of the 8 listed

caution100%

0 of 8 encrypted

Port :8472Overlay Transport Virtualization (OTV)

Technical Details

Security Information

Related Ports

Port 8472Overlay Transport Virtualization (OTV)