CyberHunter
// Voice & chat

Port 5060: SIP

VoIP signalling (5061 for SIP over TLS).

Session Initiation ProtocolVoIP
5060

How SIP works

Voice & chat
callercalleeINVITE callercalleeINVITE

Port 5060 sets up the call (who calls whom), then the voice travels as a stream of audio packets. It travels in clear text: anyone on the path can read it.

Transport
UDP · TCP · SCTP
Exposure risk
6/10 high if reachable from the Internet
Encryption
Clear textreadable on the network
IANA status
Assigned1 registered service
Range
Registered (1024-49151)
Category
Voice & chat
01 Security

Is port 5060 dangerous?

Common attacks and weaknesses

  • Extension scanning and toll fraud through brute-forced accounts.

How to secure it

  • Use strong SIP passwords, rate limiting, geo restrictions and SIP over TLS.
02 Registry

IANA registry entries for port 5060

ServicePortTransportDescriptionReferenceUpdated
sip 5060 TCP, UDP, SCTP SIP RFC 3263 2014-04-09

// source: IANA service name and port number registry

03 Check it

Which program uses port 5060, and is it reachable?

Linux

sudo ss -ltnup 'sport = :5060'      # process listening on 5060
sudo lsof -nP -i :5060

macOS

sudo lsof -nP -i :5060

Windows (PowerShell)

Get-NetTCPConnection -LocalPort 5060 -State Listen | Select LocalAddress, OwningProcess
Get-NetUDPEndpoint -LocalPort 5060
netstat -ano | findstr :5060

From another machine

nmap -p 5060 -sV <host>
sudo nmap -sU -p 5060 <host>
nc -zv <host> 5060

Block it in the firewall

sudo ufw deny 5060/tcp                                         # Linux (ufw)
New-NetFirewallRule -DisplayName "Block 5060" -Direction Inbound -LocalPort 5060 -Protocol TCP -Action Block  # Windows
04 FAQ
What is port 5060 used for?

VoIP signalling (5061 for SIP over TLS).

Is port 5060 TCP or UDP?

Port 5060 is registered for UDP and TCP and SCTP. In practice the service mostly uses UDP and TCP.

Is it safe to open port 5060?

It is rated 6/10 (high) when exposed to the Internet. Extension scanning and toll fraud through brute-forced accounts. Use strong SIP passwords, rate limiting, geo restrictions and SIP over TLS.

How do I check if port 5060 is open?

On Linux run "ss -ltnup 'sport = :5060'", on macOS "lsof -nP -i :5060", and on Windows "netstat -ano | findstr :5060" to see the local process. From another machine, "nmap -p 5060 <host>" shows whether it is reachable.

05 Related