WHATPORT(17) whatport.net WHATPORT(17)
17

QOTD (Quote of the Day)

QOTD — connect and get a short quotation, then the connection closes.

TCP UDP IANA registry

Description

RFC 865 defines QOTD as a service that returns a short ASCII quote, capped at 512 characters, with no request syntax. It shipped as an inetd built-in and as a Windows 'Simple TCP/IP Services' component, usually sourced from a local fortune file. It has no operational use and is disabled by default everywhere. Its UDP form is one of the reflection vectors named in CISA's amplification alert, since a small spoofed datagram triggers a larger reply to the victim.

Exposed to the internet?

Do not expose

Named as a UDP amplification vector by CISA, and there is no use case that justifies leaving it reachable.

Check it yourself

$ nc -v TARGET 17

See also

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