What is port 22 used for?

Port 22 is the standard TCP port used for SSH (Secure Shell). It is commonly used by OpenSSH, Dropbear, PuTTY, Bitvise SSH. Standard encrypted protocol for command-line access, remote system administration, and SFTP transfers.

How do I check if port 22 is open?

Enter your public IP or hostname into the scanner tool and click Check. A sub-second raw TCP socket handshake will be initiated from our edge server to port 22 on your target. If the 3-way handshake finishes with SYN-ACK, the port is OPEN. If an RST packet is returned, the host is reachable but the port is CLOSED. If packets time out without response, the port is FILTERED by an ISP or firewall.

Is port 22 safe to expose to the public internet?

Port 22 is generally safe to expose when running standard, patched services with strong authentication. However, always ensure your software is updated and access control policies are strictly enforced.

Why does port 22 show as closed or filtered?

If port 22 reports CLOSED or FILTERED, confirm that: 1) Your service is actively running and bound to 0.0.0.0 (not just localhost/127.0.0.1); 2) Your router has a port forwarding rule directing external port 22 to your machine's local IP; 3) Your operating system firewall (Windows Defender Firewall, ufw, or iptables) allows incoming connections on port 22.

PORT 22 TCP Remote Access Medium Risk

Port 22 (SSH (Secure Shell)) Open Check

Standard encrypted protocol for command-line access, remote system administration, and SFTP transfers.

Live Socket Reachability Probe

Pre-configured for Port 22

Port Scanner

Quick:

Recent Probes 0

Stored locally in browser • 0 logs on server

No recent scans recorded.

Target hosts and tested ports will appear here automatically for fast 1-click re-testing.

Auto-prunes oldest probes beyond 10 entries (FIFO)

Port Specifications & Network Behavior

Standard Port Number 22

Primary Service SSH (Secure Shell)

Transport Protocol TCP

Traffic Classification Remote Access

Residential ISP Status Typically unrestricted by consumer ISPs

Security Exposure Medium Suitable for public internet hosting with authentication

Security Advisory: SSH (Secure Shell) (Port 22)

Publicly exposed port 22 is constantly bombarded by automated credential brute-force bots. Disable password authentication and enforce SSH keys.

Port Forwarding & Troubleshooting Checklist

If port 22 returns CLOSED or FILTERED, work through this verified diagnostic checklist:

1 Verify OpenSSH daemon is active using 'sudo systemctl status ssh' or 'ssh.service'.
2 Check /etc/ssh/sshd_config to ensure 'ListenAddress 0.0.0.0' or 'Port 22' is set.
3 Verify router port forwarding rule maps external 22 to internal server port 22.

Verify Host Is Listening Locally

Windows (PowerShell) netstat -ano | findstr :22

Linux / macOS (Bash) ss -tulpn | grep :22