194
IRC
High RiskTCP/UDP — Messaging
Port Overview
Port Number
194
Service Name
IRC
Transport Protocol
TCP/UDP
Category
Messaging
Security Risk
High
Port Range
Well-Known (0-1023)
What is Port 194?
IRC (Internet Relay Chat) is a text-based real-time messaging protocol defined in RFC 1459. While largely displaced by Slack, Discord, and Matrix, IRC remains active; servers are frequently exploited as botnet C2 infrastructure.
TCP/UDP
Messaging
Commonly Used
Security Considerations
Port 194 (IRC) is classified as high risk. This port is a common target for automated scanning and brute-force attacks. If you must expose it, restrict access to known IP addresses.
Recommendation: Use firewall rules to whitelist trusted IPs. Enable rate limiting and intrusion detection.