Quality — Port 5357 Hacktricks High
You can attempt to brute-force directories or use specialized tools to look for valid endpoints. If an endpoint is accessible, it will return XML data containing device metadata. 3. Potential Vulnerabilities and Attack Vectors
Elena leaned forward. The Nmap script scanner ( -sV ) had identified the service, but she needed more than just a version number. She needed a name.
: If network discovery features (like automatic printer mapping) are not required on a server, disable the Function Discovery Provider Host and Function Discovery Resource Publication services in Windows.
Forcing the Windows machine to authenticate against an attacker’s Rogue SMB/HTTP server (e.g., Responder), allowing the collection or relaying of NetNTLMv2 hashes. Denial of Service (DoS)
Port 5357 can expose a system to several severe vulnerabilities depending on the underlying Windows patch level and service configuration. 1. HTTP.sys Remote Code Execution (CVE-2015-1635) port 5357 hacktricks
Her job was simple: find the weakness before the bad guys did.
: The most severe risk comes from the service's history. A critical vulnerability, documented in Microsoft Security Bulletin MS09-063 and assigned CVE-2009-2512 , was found in the way WSDAPI processed the headers of Web Services messages. This memory corruption flaw allowed a remote attacker on the same subnet to send a specially crafted packet to TCP ports 5357 or 5358 and execute arbitrary code, potentially taking full control of the system. It's crucial to note: Microsoft released a patch for this vulnerability over a decade ago. However, unpatched legacy systems, or those with custom configurations, can still be vulnerable, as highlighted in the next section.
This port opens automatically when Network Discovery is set to "Private" or "Domain" profiles inside the Windows Advanced Sharing Control Panel. Enumeration Techniques
An open 5357 often signals a Windows environment where "Network Discovery" is enabled for "Private" or "Domain" firewall profiles. ⚠️ Potential Vulnerabilities You can attempt to brute-force directories or use
WS-Discovery responds to SOAP requests. Attackers can craft XML queries to force the system to dump metadata. This metadata often includes computer names, domain details, internal IP addresses, and unique hardware IDs. 3. NTLM Relay Attacks
Historically, WSDAPI has been subject to critical vulnerabilities:
The most common vulnerability on this port is leaking metadata. Attackers can often retrieve: and computer names. Printer/Scanner models and manufacturer details. Internal network paths and device metadata useful for further targeting. PentestPad 3. Enumeration via Browser
You can use to identify the service and its version. Since it runs over HTTP, standard service discovery flags are effective: nmap -p 5357 -sV Use code with caution. : If network discovery features (like automatic printer
Querying the HTTP headers or the WSD XML payloads often reveals: Exact computer hostnames. Internal Active Directory domain names. Operating system build versions. Device Functionality Discovery
Some possible exploitation techniques for Port 5357 include:
With the initial foothold established, the attacker could move to the post-exploitation phase. In the documented simulation, the tester was able to execute a reverse shell payload—successfully receiving a remote command prompt back to their attack machine.
HTTP/1.1 404 Not Found Content-Type: text/html; charset=us-ascii Server: Microsoft-HTTPAPI/2.0 Date: Wed, 14 May 2026 12:00:00 GMT Connection: close Content-Length: 315 Use code with caution. Accessing the WSD Endpoint