Port 123: NTP

Network Time Protocol: keeps clocks in sync. Old NTP servers answering monlist queries were used for huge amplification floods. Only run a public NTP server if you mean to.

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Port 123 at a glance

Port123
ProtocolUDP
ServiceNTP
Open to the Internet?Only to addresses that need it
See What Is Listeningss -lntup | grep ':123 '
Test From Outsidenmap -sU -p 123 your-server
Block with UFWufw deny 123/udp
Block with nftablesnft add rule inet filter input udp dport 123 drop

NTP uses UDP port 123. Network Time Protocol: keeps clocks in sync.

Old NTP servers answering monlist queries were used for huge amplification floods. Only run a public NTP server if you mean to.

Allow port 123 only from the addresses that need it: your office, a VPN or a bastion host. The firewall rule generator builds those rules for nftables, iptables and UFW.

Questions

What is port 123 used for?
NTP. Network Time Protocol: keeps clocks in sync.
Is it safe to open port 123?
Only to addresses that need it. Old NTP servers answering monlist queries were used for huge amplification floods. Only run a public NTP server if you mean to.
How do I check if port 123 is open?
On the server, ss -lntup | grep ':123 ' shows what is listening. From another machine, nmap -sU -p 123 your-server shows whether the firewall lets it through.
How do I block port 123?
With UFW: ufw deny 123/udp. With nftables, add a drop rule for dport 123 in your input chain.

Abuse from open ports on your VMs?

Frabs spots amplification, scans and floods leaving any VM and stops them, without touching your firewall.