Imagine your house with all the doors and windows wide open. While convenient for easy access, it also presents a clear security risk. Similarly, leaving open ports on your computer or network creates vulnerabilities that malicious actors can exploit.
What Are Ports?
Think of ports as numbered doorways in your digital world. Each port corresponds to a specific service or application, allowing data to flow through for its intended purpose. For example, port 80 is commonly used for web browsing, while port 22 is used for secure shell access. You can access the list of open ports that are visible to the outside world by running a Telivy External Assessment or a Risk Assessment.
Why Are Open Ports Bad And Why Should You Close Them?
While necessary for certain functions, open ports present several security risks:
Increased Attack Surface
Exploiting Vulnerabilities
Malware Infiltration
Resource Drain
High-Risk Ports (Close Unless Absolutely Necessary)
While necessary for certain functions, open ports present several security risks:
FTP (20, 21)
Telnet (23)
NetBIOS (135, 137, 139)
Remote Desktop (3389)
SMTP (25)
Database ports (MySQL - 3306, PostgreSQL - 5432 )
Medium-Risk Ports (Use With Caution)
SSH (22)
DNS (53)
Web servers (80)
Low-Risk Ports (Generally Safe To Leave Open)
HTTPS (443)
VPN (various ports)
Gaming servers (various ports)
How To Close Unused Ports
The process of closing unused ports depends on your specific device or network configuration. The first is to use a port scanner like Telivy to identify which ports are open on your network. Next, understand the purpose of the ports and close the service behind the ports if you don't need them.
Imagine your house with all the doors and windows wide open. While convenient for easy access, it also presents a clear security risk. Similarly, leaving open ports on your computer or network creates vulnerabilities that malicious actors can exploit.
What Are Ports?
Think of ports as numbered doorways in your digital world. Each port corresponds to a specific service or application, allowing data to flow through for its intended purpose. For example, port 80 is commonly used for web browsing, while port 22 is used for secure shell access. You can access the list of open ports that are visible to the outside world by running a Telivy External Assessment or a Risk Assessment.
Why Are Open Ports Bad And Why Should You Close Them?
While necessary for certain functions, open ports present several security risks:
Increased Attack Surface
Exploiting Vulnerabilities
Malware Infiltration
Resource Drain
High-Risk Ports (Close Unless Absolutely Necessary)
While necessary for certain functions, open ports present several security risks:
FTP (20, 21)
Telnet (23)
NetBIOS (135, 137, 139)
Remote Desktop (3389)
SMTP (25)
Database ports (MySQL - 3306, PostgreSQL - 5432 )
Medium-Risk Ports (Use With Caution)
SSH (22)
DNS (53)
Web servers (80)
Low-Risk Ports (Generally Safe To Leave Open)
HTTPS (443)
VPN (various ports)
Gaming servers (various ports)
How To Close Unused Ports
The process of closing unused ports depends on your specific device or network configuration. The first is to use a port scanner like Telivy to identify which ports are open on your network. Next, understand the purpose of the ports and close the service behind the ports if you don't need them.
Imagine your house with all the doors and windows wide open. While convenient for easy access, it also presents a clear security risk. Similarly, leaving open ports on your computer or network creates vulnerabilities that malicious actors can exploit.
What Are Ports?
Think of ports as numbered doorways in your digital world. Each port corresponds to a specific service or application, allowing data to flow through for its intended purpose. For example, port 80 is commonly used for web browsing, while port 22 is used for secure shell access. You can access the list of open ports that are visible to the outside world by running a Telivy External Assessment or a Risk Assessment.
Why Are Open Ports Bad And Why Should You Close Them?
While necessary for certain functions, open ports present several security risks:
Increased Attack Surface
Exploiting Vulnerabilities
Malware Infiltration
Resource Drain
High-Risk Ports (Close Unless Absolutely Necessary)
While necessary for certain functions, open ports present several security risks:
FTP (20, 21)
Telnet (23)
NetBIOS (135, 137, 139)
Remote Desktop (3389)
SMTP (25)
Database ports (MySQL - 3306, PostgreSQL - 5432 )
Medium-Risk Ports (Use With Caution)
SSH (22)
DNS (53)
Web servers (80)
Low-Risk Ports (Generally Safe To Leave Open)
HTTPS (443)
VPN (various ports)
Gaming servers (various ports)
How To Close Unused Ports
The process of closing unused ports depends on your specific device or network configuration. The first is to use a port scanner like Telivy to identify which ports are open on your network. Next, understand the purpose of the ports and close the service behind the ports if you don't need them.