# Is automatic port opening (UPnP) on the office router a risk?

Yes, and on an office network usually a needless one. Universal Plug and Play (UPnP) lets any device inside the network ask the router to open a port to the internet, with no password and without telling anyone. Game consoles and video apps like it; so do compromised devices and malware, which can use it to make themselves reachable from outside. Cameras and recorders often open ports this way during installation. Switch UPnP off on the office router, and on the home routers where staff work, then check which ports are already forwarded and remove those you cannot explain. Some routers also expose UPnP to the internet side by mistake, which is worse; an external scan shows it. A network sensor does not see the router's configuration, but it sees the effect: NetSenX sees inbound connections from the internet to monitored hosts, so a device that suddenly receives connections from outside stands out.

FAQ: [Remote work and exposed services](https://netsenx.com/en/faq/remote) · https://netsenx.com/en/faq/is-upnp-on-the-office-router-a-risk

## Read next

- https://netsenx.com/en/is-someone-inside-your-network
- https://netsenx.com/en/encrypted-traffic-analysis

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