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If it's so risky, why do so many organizations still rely on port forwarding? The reasons go beyond simple inertia:
Many IT teams stick with port forwarding because it's embedded in their operational DNA. It's the devil they know—a familiar approach that doesn't require retraining staff or rewriting documentation. This institutional knowledge creates resistance to change, even when the security risks are understood.
Older applications and systems often weren't designed with modern security architectures in mind. Some legacy software explicitly requires specific open ports to function, creating technical debt that's difficult to eliminate without significant reworking or replacement of critical systems.
A manufacturing plant running specialized equipment controlled by decade-old software, for example, might find that port forwarding is the only supported remote access method in their vendor documentation.
Migrating away from port forwarding requires investment—not just in new tools, but in time and expertise. Many organizations mistakenly view port forwarding as "free" compared to implementing more secure alternatives that may require licensing costs or additional infrastructure.
This short-term financial thinking ignores the potentially catastrophic costs of a security breach that could have been prevented with modern approaches.
Port forwarding thrives in "just make it work" environments where immediate solutions take precedence over security planning. What starts as a temporary fix—"I'll just open this port for the weekend"—becomes a permanent security liability when no one remembers to close it afterward.
This quick-fix approach creates technical debt that accumulates over time, making networks progressively less secure as each new port exception adds to the attack surface.
Perhaps most dangerously, many organizations believe their other security measures compensate for the inherent risks of port forwarding. They assume that because they have:
...that their forwarded ports don't represent significant vulnerability. This false sense of security ignores the reality that most sophisticated attacks exploit multiple small weaknesses rather than a single catastrophic flaw.
Every open port you create is a new opportunity for attackers. Exposed ports act like bright neon signs for cybercriminals, advertising potential vulnerabilities.
Real-world incidents, like ransomware campaigns exploiting Remote Desktop Protocol (RDP) ports, show how attackers actively scan the internet for open doors. Even strong passwords and firewalls aren’t enough if the service itself has a vulnerability.
The hard truth: if an open port exists, someone is trying to find it.
In an ideal world, port forwarding would be carefully configured, maintained, and regularly audited.
In reality? It’s often rushed, temporary, and forgotten.
Temporary open ports for projects, testing, or remote troubleshooting frequently get left behind, undocumented and unmonitored. Over time, these forgotten configurations pile up, creating a sprawling network of vulnerabilities just waiting to be exploited.
Managing port forwarding rules across dozens — or hundreds — of devices is a logistical nightmare.
In fast-growing IoT deployments, for example, manually assigning and tracking forwarded ports isn’t just tedious — it’s impossible to do securely at scale.
Worse, conflicting port assignments, misconfigurations, and NAT traversal issues become common headaches, consuming valuable IT resources better spent elsewhere.
The larger your network grows, the faster manual port forwarding becomes an unmanageable liability.
If it’s so risky, why are so many still doing it?
The answer is simple: habit.
Many teams stick with port forwarding because it’s familiar. It’s a short-term fix that appears to work — until it doesn’t.
This “good enough” mindset leaves organizations exposed, falsely believing that their firewalls or strong credentials alone are enough to compensate for fundamental architectural weaknesses.
The good news? Modern networking approaches have made port forwarding unnecessary — and they’re often easier and more secure.
Instead of trusting any connection by default, ZTNA requires users and devices to authenticate explicitly every time. No open ports. No wide-open networks.
ZTNA means services are invisible to unauthorized users, significantly reducing attack surfaces.
Rather than exposing a service to the entire internet, private proxies create secure, encrypted tunnels on-demand between authorized users and specific devices.
Because no persistent public endpoint exists, there’s nothing visible for attackers to scan or exploit.
This method allows precise, ephemeral connections without opening up your network to unnecessary risk.
Modern solutions — like #Remote.It — allow developers, IT teams, and businesses to connect to devices and services across any network without touching port forwarding at all.
These services provide frictionless, secure access with built-in encryption, identity management, and access controls — designed for today’s hybrid, multi-cloud, and IoT environments.
If you’re still relying on port forwarding today, it’s not too late to modernize.
Here’s how to get started:
The goal: make secure remote access the norm, not the exception.
Port forwarding was a useful tool for a different era. But today, it’s a liability that IT teams can no longer afford to ignore.
With better alternatives now widely available, clinging to open ports unnecessarily exposes your organization to security risks, operational headaches, and future scalability challenges.
By adopting Zero Trust principles, private proxies, and modern connection services like #Remote.It, you can secure your network infrastructure for the future — and finally leave port forwarding behind where it belongs.
Ready to move forward without looking back?
Discover how you can modernize your remote access strategy today.
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