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// Network services

Port 9596: Mercury Discovery

Port 9596 is assigned by IANA to mercury-disc (Mercury Discovery).

9596

How mercury-disc works

Network services
client:9596mercury-discresponse client:9596mercury-discresponse

The client sends a request to port 9596 and the mercury-disc service answers.

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
Network services
01 Security

Is port 9596 dangerous?

We have no specific security note for port 9596. Its risk depends on the program actually listening on it. General advice for network services services:

  • Answer only the networks that need the service (no open resolvers, relays or reflectors).
  • UDP services can be abused for DDoS amplification: rate-limit or block them at the edge.
  • Disable legacy test services that have no use in production.
02 Registry

IANA registry entries for port 9596

ServicePortTransportDescriptionReferenceUpdated
mercury-disc 9596 TCP, UDP Mercury Discovery - 2005-11

// source: IANA service name and port number registry

03 Check it

Which program uses port 9596, and is it reachable?

Linux

sudo ss -ltnup 'sport = :9596'      # process listening on 9596
sudo lsof -nP -i :9596

macOS

sudo lsof -nP -i :9596

Windows (PowerShell)

Get-NetTCPConnection -LocalPort 9596 -State Listen | Select LocalAddress, OwningProcess
Get-NetUDPEndpoint -LocalPort 9596
netstat -ano | findstr :9596

From another machine

nmap -p 9596 -sV <host>
sudo nmap -sU -p 9596 <host>
nc -zv <host> 9596

Block it in the firewall

sudo ufw deny 9596/tcp                                         # Linux (ufw)
New-NetFirewallRule -DisplayName "Block 9596" -Direction Inbound -LocalPort 9596 -Protocol TCP -Action Block  # Windows
04 FAQ
What is port 9596 used for?

Port 9596 is assigned by IANA to mercury-disc (Mercury Discovery).

Is port 9596 TCP or UDP?

Port 9596 is registered for TCP and UDP.

Is it safe to open port 9596?

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. Answer only the networks that need the service (no open resolvers, relays or reflectors).

How do I check if port 9596 is open?

On Linux run "ss -ltnup 'sport = :9596'", on macOS "lsof -nP -i :9596", and on Windows "netstat -ano | findstr :9596" to see the local process. From another machine, "nmap -p 9596 <host>" shows whether it is reachable.

05 Related
:53 DNS tcp · udp · moderate risk :135 MS RPC tcp · udp · high risk :123 NTP udp · tcp · moderate risk :67 DHCP server udp · tcp · moderate risk :111 rpcbind tcp · udp · high risk :9100 Raw printing (JetDirect) tcp · udp · high risk :631 IPP / CUPS tcp · udp · high risk :5353 mDNS udp · tcp · moderate risk

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