Apple Filing Protocol — a Mac file share, a Time Machine target, or a NAS with AFP still switched on.
AFP over TCP is Apple's native file-sharing protocol, and for years it was how Macs mounted volumes from each other, from macOS Server, and from NAS boxes. Apple has since moved to SMB as the default — APFS volumes cannot be shared over AFP at all — and Apple's macOS Sequoia enterprise notes state that the AFP client is deprecated and will be removed in a future macOS release. In practice, 548 open today means a NAS (Synology, QNAP, or a Netatalk server) still offering AFP for older Macs or legacy Time Machine backups.
Do not expose
A file-share service on a deprecated protocol with a shrinking maintenance base, protected only by user passwords — keep it on the LAN or reach it over a VPN.
$ nc -vz -w 3 TARGET 548Seen this on your network? Beige Box scans your Wi-Fi and shows every open port on every device — and its Ports tool links straight back here.
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