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EC-Council

312-50V12 · Question #62

After an audit, the auditors inform you that there is a critical finding that you must tackle immediately. You read the audit report, and the problem is the service running on port 389. Which service

The correct answer is B. The service is LDAP, and you must change it to 636, which is LDAPS.. Port 389 is used by LDAP (Lightweight Directory Access Protocol), which transmits data in cleartext and poses a security risk. The solution is to migrate to LDAPS (LDAP over SSL/TLS) on port 636 to encrypt directory service communications.

Submitted by tom_us· Mar 4, 2026Network and Perimeter Hacking

Question

After an audit, the auditors inform you that there is a critical finding that you must tackle immediately. You read the audit report, and the problem is the service running on port 389. Which service is this and how can you tackle the problem?

Options

  • AThe service is NTP, and you have to change it from UDP to TCP in order to encrypt it.
  • BThe service is LDAP, and you must change it to 636, which is LDAPS.
  • CThe findings do not require immediate actions and are only suggestions.
  • DThe service is SMTP, and you must change it to SMIME, which is an encrypted way to send

How the community answered

(34 responses)
  • A
    3% (1)
  • B
    85% (29)
  • C
    9% (3)
  • D
    3% (1)

Why each option

Port 389 is used by LDAP (Lightweight Directory Access Protocol), which transmits data in cleartext and poses a security risk. The solution is to migrate to LDAPS (LDAP over SSL/TLS) on port 636 to encrypt directory service communications.

AThe service is NTP, and you have to change it from UDP to TCP in order to encrypt it.

NTP (Network Time Protocol) operates on UDP port 123, not port 389, so this identification is technically incorrect and the proposed remediation is irrelevant.

BThe service is LDAP, and you must change it to 636, which is LDAPS.Correct

Port 389 is the well-known port for LDAP, which transmits authentication and directory data in plaintext, making it vulnerable to interception and credential theft. LDAPS (LDAP over SSL/TLS) operates on port 636 and encrypts the entire communication channel, directly resolving the critical security finding identified by the auditors.

CThe findings do not require immediate actions and are only suggestions.

An audit finding specifically flagged as critical requires immediate remediation; dismissing it as a suggestion contradicts standard audit severity classifications and poses ongoing security risk.

DThe service is SMTP, and you must change it to SMIME, which is an encrypted way to send

SMTP operates on port 25 (or 587/465), not port 389, and S/MIME is an email message encryption standard unrelated to LDAP or directory service security.

Concept tested: Securing LDAP by migrating to LDAPS on port 636

Source: https://learn.microsoft.com/en-us/troubleshoot/windows-server/identity/enable-ldap-over-ssl-3rd-certification-authority

Topics

#LDAP#LDAPS#Port 389#Secure protocols

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