Port 445: Understanding Its Role in Cyber Attacks and Strategies for Defense

This article explains the security risks of Port 445 (SMB), recounts high-profile abuses such as the EternalBlue exploit and WannaCry ransomware, and recommends defenses—patching, disabling SMBv1, firewall configuration, network segmentation, IDPS, vulnerability assessments, and user training—to reduce the attack surface and mitigate future incidents.