// REFERENCE · PORT 137 · UDP

Port 137: NetBIOS Name Service

Port 137 is the NetBIOS name service, an old Windows way of finding computers by name on a local network.

AT A GLANCE
PORT
137 / UDP
SERVICE
NetBIOS Name Service
ALSO CALLED
netbios-ns, nbns, wins
IF EXPOSED
MEDIUM RISK IF EXPOSED

What runs on port 137

Before DNS was universal on LANs, Windows machines announced and looked up names over UDP 137. It still exists for backwards compatibility, alongside 138 (datagrams) and 139 (sessions). Samba implements it on Linux and NAS devices.

On a home network

Windows PCs, NAS boxes running Samba and some routers with file sharing answer on 137. A NetBIOS name query to them returns the machine name, workgroup and sometimes the logged-in user.

If port 137 is reachable from the internet

There is no reason for 137 to be reachable from the internet. It leaks machine and user names and has been used for small reflection attacks. It is also a sign that the device behind it may have 139 and 445 exposed too.

How to check whether it is open on your network

A LAN scan will often show device names learned through NetBIOS; that is normal inside. Confirm your router does not forward UDP 137 and that no PC is in the DMZ.

// RELATED PORTS
139NetBIOS SessionTCPHIGH RISK IF EXPOSED445SMBTCPHIGH RISK IF EXPOSED5353mDNSUDPLOW RISK IF EXPOSED
ON YOUR PHONE · EXPOSURE CHECK

To find out whether port 137 is open on something in your home, and whether the internet can reach it, the app scans your Wi-Fi from your phone and checks your public address from the outside. It says what it checked and what it could not. Get RECON for iPhone — one-time purchase, no account, nothing leaves the device.

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