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// Other services

Port 9878: The KX509 Kerberized Certificate Issuance Protocol in Use in 2012

Port 9878 is assigned by IANA to kca-service (The KX509 Kerberized Certificate Issuance Protocol in Use in 2012).

9878

How kca-service works

Other services
client:9878kca-serviceresponse client:9878kca-serviceresponse

The client sends a request to port 9878 and the kca-service service answers.

Transport
UDP
Exposure risk
not rated depends on the program listening
Encryption
Unknownnot stated by the registry
IANA status
Assigned1 registered service
Range
Registered (1024-49151)
Category
Other services
01 Security

Is port 9878 dangerous?

We have no specific security note for port 9878. Its risk depends on the program actually listening on it. General advice for other services services:

  • Close the port if nothing on the host needs it.
  • Identify the process that listens on it (commands below) before opening it in a firewall.
  • Expose a service only to the networks that use it.
02 Registry

IANA registry entries for port 9878

ServicePortTransportDescriptionReferenceUpdated
kca-service 9878 UDP The KX509 Kerberized Certificate Issuance Protocol in Use in 2012 RFC 6717 2012-07-12
-9878-Reserved--

// source: IANA service name and port number registry

03 Check it

Which program uses port 9878, and is it reachable?

Linux

sudo ss -ltnup 'sport = :9878'      # process listening on 9878
sudo lsof -nP -i :9878

macOS

sudo lsof -nP -i :9878

Windows (PowerShell)

Get-NetTCPConnection -LocalPort 9878 -State Listen | Select LocalAddress, OwningProcess
Get-NetUDPEndpoint -LocalPort 9878
netstat -ano | findstr :9878

From another machine

nmap -p 9878 -sV <host>
sudo nmap -sU -p 9878 <host>
nc -zv <host> 9878

Block it in the firewall

sudo ufw deny 9878/udp                                         # Linux (ufw)
New-NetFirewallRule -DisplayName "Block 9878" -Direction Inbound -LocalPort 9878 -Protocol UDP -Action Block  # Windows
04 FAQ
What is port 9878 used for?

Port 9878 is assigned by IANA to kca-service (The KX509 Kerberized Certificate Issuance Protocol in Use in 2012).

Is port 9878 TCP or UDP?

Port 9878 is registered for UDP.

Is it safe to open port 9878?

It depends on the program that listens on it. Open it only for a service you know and only to the networks that need it. Close the port if nothing on the host needs it.

How do I check if port 9878 is open?

On Linux run "ss -ltnup 'sport = :9878'", on macOS "lsof -nP -i :9878", and on Windows "netstat -ano | findstr :9878" to see the local process. From another machine, "nmap -p 9878 <host>" shows whether it is reachable.

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