What is the port used by ISAKMP?
ISAKMP traffic normally goes over UDP port 500, unless NAT-T is used in which case UDP port 4500 is used.
And UDP 500 is for ISAKMP which is used to negotiate the IKE Phase 1 in IPSec Site-to-Site vpn & is default port number for isakmp, used when there is no NATing in the transit path of the vpn traffic.
The ISAKMP protocol is a framework for dynamically establishing security associations and cryptographic keys in an Internet environment. This framework defines a set of message flows (exchanges) and message formats (payloads). ISAKMP defines a generic payload for key exchange information.
Port 500 is used by most IPSEC-based VPN systems for the establishment of securely encrypted "tunnels" between endpoint machines. Users of firewalls or routers that must pass or negotiate VPN connections may need to allow UDP traffic to cross on port 500.
UDP: Typically, ISAKMP uses UDP as its transport protocol. ISAKMP traffic normally goes over UDP port 500, unless NAT-T is used in which case UDP port 4500 is used.
Like TCP (Transmission Control Protocol), UDP is used with IP (the Internet Protocol) but unlike TCP on Port 500, UDP Port 500 is connectionless and does not guarantee reliable communication; it's up to the application that received the message on Port 500 to process any errors and verify correct delivery.
IPSec does use IKE, but ISAKMP is part of IKE. IKE establishs the shared security policy and authenticated keys. ISAKMP is the protocol that specifies the mechanics of the key exchange. The confusion, (for me,) is that in the Cisco IOS ISAKMP/IKE are used to refer to the same thing.
Ipsec needs UDP port 500 + ip protocol 50 and 51 - but you can use NAt-T instead, which needs UDP port 4500. On the other hand L2TP uses udp port 1701. If you trying to pass ipsec traffic through a "regular" Wi-Fi router and there is no such option as IPSec pass-through, I recommend opening port 500 and 4500.
SKEME (key exchange technique that provides anonymity, repudiability,and key refreshment). The RFC you have referred to states that ISAKMP is an IPSEC protocol and it is true.
Like TCP (Transmission Control Protocol), UDP is used with IP (the Internet Protocol) but unlike TCP on Port 4500, UDP Port 4500 is connectionless and does not guarantee reliable communication; it's up to the application that received the message on Port 4500 to process any errors and verify correct delivery.
What is the use of port number 4500?
Service Name | Port Number | Description |
---|---|---|
ipsec-nat-t | 4500 | IPsec NAT-Traversal |
ipsec-nat-t | 4500 | IPsec NAT-Traversal |
xpra | 14500 | xpra network protocol |
14500 | Reserved |
By default, L2TP uses IPSec, which requires UDP ports 500 and 4500, and ESP IP Protocol 50. If you disable IPSec, Mobile VPN with L2TP requires only UDP port 1701. This type of L2TP configuration should be allowed in most environments unless the network is configured to be extremely restrictive.

HTTPS is secure and is on port 443, while HTTP is unsecured and available on port 80. Information that travels on the port 443 is encrypted using Secure Sockets Layer (SSL) or its new version, Transport Layer Security (TLS) and hence safer.
Click on “Advanced Settings.” Right-click on “Inbound Rules” and select “New Rule” from the popup menu. Select the “Port” option and click “Next.” Add the protocol (TCP or UDP).
(For Windows 10, press the Windows button) and type CMD. Now click on Run as Administrator option. When the Command Prompt window opens, type Netstat -ab and press Enter. A list of TCP and UDP ports starts appearing along with the IP address and other details.
L2TP uses UDP port 1701.
ISAKMP is part of the internet key exchange for setting up phase one on the tunnel. "IKE establishes the shared security policy and authenticated keys. ISAKMP is the protocol that specifies the mechanics of the key exchange."
However, Port 80 provides an HTTP connection under TCP protocol. This port provides an unencrypted connection between the web browser and the web servers, which leaves the sensitive user data exposed to cybercriminals and may lead to severe data misuse.
Port 3389 is used to enable users to access remote computers. While in most cases this access is legitimate and approved by the owner of the physical machine, there are also port 3389 vulnerabilities that make it critical to limit access.
The Internet Security Association and Key Management Protocol (ISAKMP) and IPSec are essential to building and encrypting VPN tunnels. ISAKMP, also called IKE (Internet Key Exchange), is the negotiation protocol that allows hosts to agree on how to build an IPSec security association.
What is SA in ISAKMP?
Internet Security Association and Key Management Protocol (ISAKMP) is a protocol defined by RFC 2408 for establishing Security association (SA) and cryptographic keys in an Internet environment.
Phase 1 Security Associations are used to protect IKE messages that are exchanged between two IKE peers, or security endpoints. Phase 2 Security Associations are used to protect IP traffic, as specified by the security policy for a specific type of traffic, between two data endpoints.
IPsec uses UDP because this allows IPsec packets to get through firewalls. Decryption: At the other end of the communication, the packets are decrypted, and applications (e.g. a browser) can now use the delivered data.
IPsec is a suite of protocols widely used to secure connections over the internet. The three main protocols comprising IPsec are: Authentication Header (AH), Encapsulating Security Payload (ESP), and Internet Key Exchange (IKE).
A DNS server uses well-known port 53 for all its UDP activities and as its server port for TCP. It uses a random port above 1023 for TCP requests. A DNS client uses a random port above 1023 for both UDP and TCP.
IKEv2 uses four messages; IKEv1 uses either six messages (in the main mode) or three messages (in aggressive mode). IKEv2 has Built-in NAT-T functionality which improves compatibility between vendors. IKEv2 supports EAP authentication. IKEv2 has the Keep Alive option enabled as default.
The Oakley Key Determination Protocol is a key-agreement protocol that allows authenticated parties to exchange keying material across an insecure connection using the Diffie–Hellman key exchange algorithm.
Nonce - a randomly generated number that the initiator sends. This nonce is hashed along with the other items using the agreed key and is sent back. The initiator checks the cookie including the nonce, and rejects any messages which do not have the right nonce.
UDP is a good choice if the majority of the traffic generated by your Mobile VPN with SSL clients is TCP-based. The HTTP, HTTPS, SMTP, POP3 and Microsoft Exchange protocols all use TCP by default.
How to Open UDP Port in Windows 10 Firewall - YouTube
Why is Nat T used?
Network Address Translation-Traversal (NAT-T) is a method used for managing IP address translation-related issues encountered when the data protected by IPsec passes through a device configured with NAT for address translation.
Layer Two Tunneling Protocol (L2TP) is an extension of the Point-to-Point Tunneling Protocol (PPTP) used by internet service providers (ISPs) to enable virtual private networks (VPNs). To ensure security and privacy, L2TP must rely on an encryption protocol to pass within the tunnel.
- To allow Internet Key Exchange (IKE), open UDP 500.
- To allow IPSec Network Address Translation (NAT-T) open UDP 5500.
- To allow L2TP traffic, open UDP 1701.
L2TP is actually a variation of an IP encapsulation protocol. The L2TP tunnel is created by encapsulating an L2TP frame inside a User Datagram Protocol (UDP) packet, which in turn is encapsulated inside an IP packet. The source and destination addresses of this IP packet define the endpoints of the connection.
ISAKMP is part of the internet key exchange for setting up phase one on the tunnel. "IKE establishes the shared security policy and authenticated keys. ISAKMP is the protocol that specifies the mechanics of the key exchange."
How do I check if a UDP port is open in Windows 10? - YouTube
Click on “Advanced Settings.” Right-click on “Inbound Rules” and select “New Rule” from the popup menu. Select the “Port” option and click “Next.” Add the protocol (TCP or UDP).
By default, L2TP uses IPSec, which requires UDP ports 500 and 4500, and ESP IP Protocol 50. If you disable IPSec, Mobile VPN with L2TP requires only UDP port 1701. This type of L2TP configuration should be allowed in most environments unless the network is configured to be extremely restrictive.