Attackers on the local subnet (intranet) can send malicious packets to the service, though it is usually blocked by firewall settings from the public internet. 4. Mitigation and Security Best Practices Disable Network Discovery:
5357/tcp open http Microsoft HTTPAPI httpd 2.0 (SSDP/UPnP) . 2. Information Disclosure
For a second, nothing happened. Then, the terminal flooded with XML data. port 5357 hacktricks
In the landscape of cybersecurity and penetration testing, open ports are the gateway to potential compromise. While high-profile ports like 22 (SSH), 80 (HTTP), and 445 (SMB) garner the most attention, lesser-known service ports often provide the stealthy footholds that attackers exploit. One such vector is TCP port 5357, associated with the Web Services for Devices (WSD) and the Link-Local Multicast Name Resolution (LLMNR) protocol suite. In security resources like HackTricks, this port is highlighted not necessarily for a single catastrophic vulnerability, but as a significant information disclosure vector and a relic of convenience that creates unnecessary network exposure in modern Windows environments.
An attacker inside a compromised network can scan for port 5357 across the subnet. Because it indicates a Windows environment or network-connected office hardware, it helps map out where the high-value workstation and printing infrastructure resides. 5. Defensive Hardening and Mitigation Attackers on the local subnet (intranet) can send
Port 5357 is commonly utilized by Microsoft Windows operating systems for Web Services Dynamic Discovery (WS-Discovery). This protocol allows devices to automatically discover web-based services on a local network. During a security assessment or penetration test, encountering this open port can provide valuable information about the target host or serve as an entry point for further network exploitation.
When mapping an attack surface, port 5357 acts as a valuable source of metadata about the target Windows host. Banner Grabbing and Nmap In the landscape of cybersecurity and penetration testing,
: The most severe risk comes from the service's history. A critical vulnerability, documented in Microsoft Security Bulletin MS09-063 and assigned CVE-2009-2512 , was found in the way WSDAPI processed the headers of Web Services messages. This memory corruption flaw allowed a remote attacker on the same subnet to send a specially crafted packet to TCP ports 5357 or 5358 and execute arbitrary code, potentially taking full control of the system. It's crucial to note: Microsoft released a patch for this vulnerability over a decade ago. However, unpatched legacy systems, or those with custom configurations, can still be vulnerable, as highlighted in the next section.