Port 678 sits in an unusual category: it has an official IANA assignment, but exists almost entirely in theory rather than practice.
What Port 678 Is Assigned To
According to the IANA Service Name and Transport Protocol Port Number Registry, port 678 is officially assigned to:
Service Name: ggf-ncp
Full Name: GNU Generation Foundation NCP
Protocols: Both TCP and UDP
Assignee: Noah Paul
The port falls into the well-known ports range (0-1023), which are assigned by IANA for specific standardized services.
The Problem: Nobody Knows What It Does
Here's what makes port 678 fascinating: despite having an official assignment, there is virtually no documentation about what GNU Generation Foundation NCP actually is or does.
Searching for technical details returns nothing. No RFCs. No implementation guides. No GitHub repositories. No community discussions. The protocol exists as a registry entry and little else.
The acronym "NCP" might suggest "Network Control Protocol"—a term with historical significance in networking (the ARPANET's original protocol before TCP/IP)—but there's no evidence connecting GGF-NCP to that legacy or explaining what "GNU Generation Foundation" refers to.
What This Means for Real Networks
If you see traffic on port 678, you're encountering something rare. It could be:
- An extremely niche application using the officially assigned port
- A custom service that happened to choose port 678
- Misconfigurated software
- Port scanning or reconnaissance activity
The official assignment doesn't guarantee the port is being used for its intended purpose. In practice, any application can bind to any port—the IANA registry is a guideline, not enforcement.
How to Check What's Using Port 678
On Linux or macOS:
On Windows:
If something is listening, you'll see the process ID and can investigate what software is actually running.
Why Assigned Ports Can Become Ghosts
The IANA registry contains thousands of port assignments. Some are ubiquitous (HTTP on 80, HTTPS on 443). Others are widely used in specific contexts (SSH on 22, DNS on 53). And some—like port 678—were assigned but never gained traction.
This can happen when:
- A protocol was designed but never widely deployed
- An organization registered a port for internal use that never went public
- A project started development but stalled before release
- The service exists only in closed systems or specific industries
Port 678 appears to be in this last category: officially recognized, technically assigned, practically invisible.
Security Considerations
Because port 678 sees almost no legitimate traffic, any activity on this port warrants attention:
- Firewalls should block it unless you specifically need it (which is unlikely)
- Unexpected listening services on port 678 could indicate unauthorized software
- Port scanning activity may probe port 678 looking for vulnerabilities in uncommon services
According to SpeedGuide, there are no widely known exploits specific to port 678, but that's partly because there's almost nothing running on it to exploit.
The Well-Known Ports Range
Port 678 belongs to the well-known ports (0-1023), also called system ports. These are:
- Assigned by IANA to specific services
- Require elevated privileges to bind to on Unix-like systems (root/administrator)
- Reserved for standardized protocols rather than dynamic allocation
Being in this range means port 678 was officially registered for a specific purpose—it's not a random choice or a temporary assignment. Someone requested it, IANA approved it, and it was added to the permanent registry.
The fact that it exists in this prestigious range while remaining functionally unused makes it even more curious.
Related Ports
Other obscure well-known port assignments include:
- Port 677 - Virtual Presence Protocol (vpp)
- Port 679 - Unassigned
- Port 680 - pftp (Unspecified)
Many ports in the 600s range have similar stories: official assignments with minimal real-world presence.
Frequently Asked Questions About Port 678
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