- Patch VPN gateways quickly: they are a top initial access target.
- Use certificates or MFA rather than shared secrets.
- Investigate unexpected tunnels and proxies: they are also attacker tools.
Port 8118: Privoxy HTTP proxy
Port 8118 is assigned by IANA to privoxy (Privoxy HTTP proxy).
8118
How privoxy works
VPN, tunnels & proxiesTraffic is wrapped in a tunnel between the two ends, so the network in between only sees the tunnel.
- Transport
- TCP · 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
- VPN, tunnels & proxies
Is port 8118 dangerous?
We have no specific security note for port 8118. Its risk depends on the program actually listening on it. General advice for vpn, tunnels & proxies services:
IANA registry entries for port 8118
| Service | Port | Transport | Description | Reference | Updated |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| privoxy | 8118 | TCP, UDP | Privoxy HTTP proxy | - | 2002-06 |
// source: IANA service name and port number registry
Which program uses port 8118, and is it reachable?
Linux
sudo ss -ltnup 'sport = :8118' # process listening on 8118
sudo lsof -nP -i :8118macOS
sudo lsof -nP -i :8118
Windows (PowerShell)
Get-NetTCPConnection -LocalPort 8118 -State Listen | Select LocalAddress, OwningProcess Get-NetUDPEndpoint -LocalPort 8118 netstat -ano | findstr :8118
From another machine
nmap -p 8118 -sV <host> sudo nmap -sU -p 8118 <host> nc -zv <host> 8118
Block it in the firewall
sudo ufw deny 8118/tcp # Linux (ufw) New-NetFirewallRule -DisplayName "Block 8118" -Direction Inbound -LocalPort 8118 -Protocol TCP -Action Block # Windows
What is port 8118 used for?
Port 8118 is assigned by IANA to privoxy (Privoxy HTTP proxy).
Is port 8118 TCP or UDP?
Port 8118 is registered for TCP and UDP.
Is it safe to open port 8118?
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. Patch VPN gateways quickly: they are a top initial access target.
How do I check if port 8118 is open?
On Linux run "ss -ltnup 'sport = :8118'", on macOS "lsof -nP -i :8118", and on Windows "netstat -ano | findstr :8118" to see the local process. From another machine, "nmap -p 8118 <host>" shows whether it is reachable.