286

Port 286/tcp carries the IANA-registered service name fxp ("FXP Communication"); no verifiable real-world software or daemon is confirmed to actually run on it, so whether it belongs on the public internet stays unresolved — treat any traffic here as something to investigate rather than a known-safe service.

The IANA Service Name and Transport Protocol Port Number Registry lists 286 as dual-registered on both tcp and udp, assigned to James Darnall, with the description "FXP Communication." The registry's Reference (RFC/technical-document) field is blank for this entry, and there is no registration or modification date recorded.

This formal fxp registration should not be confused with the informal, widely-known "FXP" technique (File eXchange Protocol, a server-to-server FTP transfer trick), which piggybacks on ordinary FTP control/data ports (20/21) rather than using a dedicated well-known port. No source found ties the informal FXP technique to port 286 specifically.

Research turned up no documented common software, no nmap-services prevalence figure, and no known CVE or malware association tied to this port. SANS Internet Storm Center maintains a per-port tracking page for 286, but the fetched snapshot showed no populated scan-volume or attack statistics, so elevated scanning interest is neither confirmed nor ruled out.

Because the port has an official registration but no corroborated deployment history, an analyst should not assume either "safe and expected" or "malicious" — the honest baseline is that legitimate use of 286/tcp is unestablished, and unexpected activity warrants the same scrutiny given to any obscure, rarely-seen registered port.

IANA assignment

fxp — "FXP Communication"; reference (blank — no RFC/document cited in the IANA registry); assignee James Darnall; dual-registered 286/tcp + 286/udp [Confirmed] — IANA Service Name and Transport Protocol Port Number Registry

Range class

well-known (0–1023)

Prevalence

not established in this research pass; no nmap-services frequency or scan-volume figure captured [Unknown]

Related ports

FTP control/data (20/21, informal FXP technique); other rarely-deployed 2xx IANA-registered ports

Primary use

registered by IANA as "FXP Communication"; no independently verifiable real-world daemon or product confirmed to use this port

Other/unofficial uses

none confirmed; the formal fxp registration is distinct from the informal/colloquial "FXP" server-to-server FTP transfer technique, which uses ordinary FTP ports (20/21) rather than a dedicated port [Likely — general FXP/FTP technique knowledge, not port-specific]

Security implications

SANS ISC tracks port 286 but the fetched page showed no populated scan/attack statistics or CVE association as of 2026-07-17; no malware association found

Typically seen on

Unknown — no confirmed deployments identified

Analyst note

An open 286/tcp or 286/udp has no established legitimate baseline; investigate context rather than assuming benign use.

Port 286/udp is registered with IANA under the service name fxp ("FXP Communication"), but no documented protocol specification, vendor product, or surviving implementation was found for it, so there is no sourced basis to call it either a legitimate public-facing service or a safe internal one — an open port 286 should be treated as unexplained and investigated rather than assumed benign.

The IANA registry lists identical entries for 286/tcp and 286/udp: service name fxp, description "FXP Communication," assignee and contact [James_Darnall], with blank registration date, modification date, and reference/RFC fields. This blank-reference pattern is typical of older, individually-sponsored "early registration" entries rather than IETF-standardized protocols with a published spec.

It is important not to confuse this registry entry with the unrelated, much better-known "FXP" (File eXchange Protocol / server-to-server FTP transfer), which operates over standard FTP control and data ports rather than port 286. General web search turned up no independent documentation, security writeups, honeypot reports, or malware associations naming port 286 specifically — aggregator port-listing sites merely mirror the bare IANA line without adding detail.

IANA assignment

fxp — "FXP Communication"; reference (blank — no RFC cited in IANA registry); assignee/contact [James_Darnall]; dual-registered 286/tcp + 286/udp [Confirmed] — the IANA Service Name and Transport Protocol Port Number Registry (lines 619-620); https://www.iana.org/assignments/service-names-port-numbers/service-names-port-numbers.xhtml?page=6

Range class

well-known (0–1023) [Confirmed]

Prevalence

Not researched in this pass; no telemetry source consulted [Unknown]

Related ports

none identified [Unknown]

Primary use

Unknown — no documented specification or implementation found beyond the bare IANA registry line [Unknown]

Other/unofficial uses

Unknown; not to be confused with the unrelated FTP "FXP" (File eXchange Protocol), which uses standard FTP ports, not 286

Security implications

no CVEs, honeypot reports, or malware associations found for port 286; low-profile/rarely-discussed port rather than confirmed safe

Typically seen on

Unknown — no software or vendor product documented to use this port [Unknown]

Analyst note

An open port 286 is unusual and undocumented; investigate the bound process rather than assuming it matches the obscure IANA "fxp" registration.