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Closing the PPTP Port Under Windows 2000?

Posted by Cliff on from the advice-clear/close-your-ports/none-can-say-how dept.

phnork asks: "I have asked many skilled Win2K users and networking specialists how to close Port 1723 in my Win2K system. I have searched the net unsuccessfully, browsed news groups, asked my ISP techies, and even asked my wife. But, although all agree the port normally used for PPTP (VPN) should not be open, no one has taken the time to document how nor post the solution where it can be found. In fact, I have found that most security issues that abound in the Wide World of Windows occur because those in the know, do not. Not even Microsoft! If they did, the solution would be as easy and straight forward as setting up a printer. Networks and security are still relegated to the nether worlds of the 80s where we used to have problems with every printer installation and computers were hauled to a grinding stop by the inability of the protocol lords to arrive at a consensus. But, maybe now the solution is at hand. Now that I have asked for help maybe someone will come forward with those super words, 'Try this...'." What other hard-to-close ports have you found open in your Win2k install. What did you have to do to close them?

4 of 70 comments (clear)

  1. RRAS? by Grizzletooth · · Score: 5, Informative

    Are you running Routing and Remote Access Services on that machine? I don't see 1723 as a default open port on my servers that don't have RRAS enabled.

  2. Try TCPView from sysinternals by Fat+Cow · · Score: 5, Informative

    That should tell you which process is listening on that port. Then you can stop the appropriate service or kill the appropriate process.

    --
    stay frosty and alert
  3. joke.. right? by undef24 · · Score: 5, Informative

    This is a joke right?

    Go download Active Ports and see what program is actually casuing that port to be open.

    You can also try running this document in the reverse order to uninstall PPTP :)

  4. RPC Config by Vlad_Drak · · Score: 5, Informative

    By default RPC/135 listens on 0.0.0.0, but you can change this by using MS's rpccfg.exe to listen on the loopback only.

    http://www.microsoft.com/windows2000/techinfo/re sk it/tools/new/rpccfg-o.asp

    Also, port 445 is open, even if you disable File and Print Sharing. To fix that hole, open up regedit and change:

    HKLM\System\CurrentControlSet\Services\NetBT\Par am eters\TransportBindName from '\Device\' to nothing. You can't use the workstation service|CIFS outbound either when you do this though, and you have to reboot for it to take should you want to switch back.

    I've never had a problem with PPTP or the port you mentioned, maybe try disabling Routing and Remote Access, or other services.

    I have my Win2k3 box only listening on 22, OpenSSHd and scp work like a champ.

    Michael Johnson took over the NetworkSimplicity OpenSSH installer, which makes it too easy not to use SSH on Windows.

    http://lexa.mckenna.edu/sshwindows/

    -Vlad