FTP and ports

[Iman74]

Now I am fully aware that FTP is 21. However for awhile now I have been getting one person after another executing some type of password generatore hammering my FTP server trying to figure out the ID and password. Maybe one day they will get it or not, but someone suggested that I can actually make the port just about anything, and as long as I open that port on the Linksys it should work. So since from he told me that ports can go high as in the 65k I decide to use a version of my b-day date: 50874 which is 50,784. Well it's safe to say it did not work, but when I put everything back to 21 it does. However, this guy that suggested this knows his **** for the most part, and I respect him from an IT perspective. However, taking what he had to say and applying it, well it did not work. So I ask you all, is he wrong or did I do something wrong?

[mairving]

It may help since that is a common port scanned. If they scan all ports then it won't help that much since a portscanner will indicate what type of port it is.

[Kareeser]

Simple solution, find a File Server that autobans IP's for a pre-set amount of time after a pre-set amount of incorrect logins. Simple, elegant solution.

If you use Filezilla, the new server version comes with it. Finally.

[Iman74]

Still this does not answer the question what I am doing wrong in regards to using different ports which in theory should be possible. I am not interested in using anything passed IIS on XP.

[faulkner132]

He is referring to passive FTP mode which utilizes port 21 for the data but a "random" port (up to 65K), instead of port 20, for the control connection.

This is not going to stop people from running a dictionary attack... you can't do anything to prevent it with IIS. You need to use another server, such as FileZilla as Kareeser suggested which offers auto-bans.

[Iman74]

Thanks. When time permits I will mess around with those.