Port 9878 KCA-SERVICE
Port 9878 is the IANA-assigned kca-service port for The KX509 Kerberized Certificate Issuance Protocol in Use in 2012 (UDP).
What is port 9878 used for?
Port 9878 is assigned to kca-service and uses UDP. The IANA registry describes the service as “The KX509 Kerberized Certificate Issuance Protocol in Use in 2012”. It sits in the registered range, the block used by databases, application servers and developer tooling. Port conflicts here are common when several local services start at once.
Ports are the transport-layer address a service listens on. This entry has no TCP assignment: UDP is connectionless, so a client that gets no reply may be hitting either an idle service or a firewall drop. That is why a port conflict appears whenever two processes try to bind the same number.
Use the commands below to confirm whether port 9878 is actually in use before you change firewall rules. Blocking the port stops new inbound traffic at the firewall, but it does not stop a local process from listening, and it does not remove the service from the machine.
Source: IANA Service Name and Transport Protocol Port Number Registry. Registered assignee: [IESG]. Reference: [RFC 6717].
Check and block port 9878
Copy-ready commands for the protocols assigned to this port. Run the check first, then block only what should not be reachable.
Check on Linux
sudo ss -ulpn 'sport = :9878'Check on Windows
Get-NetUDPEndpoint -LocalPort 9878 -ErrorAction SilentlyContinueBlock with UFW
sudo ufw deny 9878/udpBlock with iptables
sudo iptables -A INPUT -p udp --dport 9878 -j DROPThese commands are examples for a typical host. Check the listener before you change firewall rules, and persist iptables rules with iptables-save or netfilter-persistent. On Windows, use Windows Defender Firewall or New-NetFirewallRule for persistent blocks. The iptables rules here cover IPv4; mirror them with ip6tables if IPv6 is enabled.
Is port 9878 safe to expose?
This port is not on our curated list of services with a widely exploited profile. Exposure is only safe when the listening service is intended, patched and protected by a firewall. Keep the listening service patched and remove it if unused. A default-deny firewall policy with explicit allow rules is still the safest baseline.
Where port 9878 is usually used
Most traffic on port 9878 falls into these scenarios. The demo below is a safe way to confirm the listener before you change anything.
- Application backends and supporting services that use a fixed registered number.
- Containers or local stacks that publish the port on the host.
- Firewall and exposure reviews before the service goes to production.
Confirm the UDP listener
This port is not registered for TCP, so an nc TCP probe cannot confirm it. Run this on the host that runs the service; empty output means nothing is bound to port 9878.
sudo ss -ulpn 'sport = :9878'Common problems with port 9878
No reply from the service
Because UDP has no handshake, a missing reply can mean the service is idle, the packet was dropped, or the client sent it to the wrong interface. Check the listener locally before blaming the network.
Port already in use
Find the process holding the port with sudo ss -ulpn 'sport = :9878' or sudo lsof -i :9878. Stop that process or configure it to bind another port; killing it without identifying it can take down a production service.
Firewall rule did not survive a reboot
UFW and Windows Firewall keep rules across restarts. Raw iptables rules do not: save them with iptables-save or the netfilter-persistent package, and re-apply after upgrades that reset the ruleset.
The port is blocked but still reachable
A firewall rule filters inbound traffic; it does not close the listener. Confirm with the check command above and bind the service to 127.0.0.1 when only local clients need it.
Port 9878 at a glance
| Port number | 9878 |
|---|---|
| Service name | kca-service |
| Transport protocol | UDP |
| Category | Application services |
| Range | Registered port (1024–10000) |
| Risk level | Standard/Low |
| Registered assignee | [IESG] |
| Reference | [RFC 6717] |
| Registry description | The KX509 Kerberized Certificate Issuance Protocol in Use in 2012 |
| Source | IANA Service Name and Transport Protocol Port Number Registry |
Frequently asked questions
What is port 9878 used for?
Port 9878 (KCA-SERVICE) uses UDP. The KX509 Kerberized Certificate Issuance Protocol in Use in 2012.
How do I check if port 9878 is open?
On Linux run `sudo ss -ulpn 'sport = :9878'`. On Windows run `Get-NetUDPEndpoint -LocalPort 9878 -ErrorAction SilentlyContinue` in PowerShell. If the port is open, the output shows a process listening on port 9878; empty output usually means nothing is bound to it.
How do I block port 9878?
With UFW run `sudo ufw deny 9878/udp`. With iptables run `sudo iptables -A INPUT -p udp --dport 9878 -j DROP`. Persist the iptables rules with your distribution's netfilter-persistent or iptables-save tooling so they survive a reboot.
Is port 9878 safe to expose?
This port is not on our curated list of services with a widely exploited profile. Exposure is only safe when the listening service is intended, patched and protected by a firewall. Nevertheless, keep the listening service patched and remove it if unused. A default-deny firewall policy with explicit allow rules is still the safest baseline.
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Primary data: IANA Service Name and Transport Protocol Port Number Registry.
Last reviewed 2026-10-30 · Methodology · About · Privacy