Why does my Mac have port 62078 open?

It appears when an iPhone or iPad is connected, either by USB or over Wi-Fi sync. It's lockdownd, the service behind usbmuxd that manages trust, pairing, and communication between macOS (Finder, Xcode, Photos, iTunes) and your iOS device.

Is it safe to kill the process on port 62078?

It's a core part of how your Mac talks to a connected iPhone or iPad, so killing it will interrupt sync, backups, or Xcode device access. It's not necessary to manage manually; it starts and stops on its own as devices connect and disconnect.

Is port 62078 a security risk?

No, it's Apple's own device management protocol and only relevant to communication between your own trusted devices. It's not something exposed to your network or the internet in a way that matters for typical use.

Port 62078: The iPhone Sync Port (usbmux/lockdownd)

Port 62078 is one of the more Apple-specific entries in this reference, and it explains itself the moment you notice it correlates with plugging in an iPhone.

What typically listens on port 62078

lockdownd: Apple’s device management daemon, working with usbmuxd, handles the pairing/trust relationship and communication channel between macOS and a connected iOS device.
Triggered by: Connecting an iPhone or iPad via USB, or having Wi-Fi sync enabled so the connection persists even when unplugged.
Used by: Finder (device backups and file sync), Xcode (running apps on a physical device), Photos (importing), and legacy iTunes-style sync flows.

Is it safe to kill?

There’s rarely a reason to. This process is managed automatically by macOS as devices connect and disconnect; it isn’t something you start or need to babysit. Force-killing it mid-sync could interrupt a backup or file transfer in progress, so if you see it while actively using a connected device, leave it alone.

Is it suspicious?

No. If you have an iPhone or iPad that’s ever been connected to this Mac (including over Wi-Fi sync), this is expected. It’s specific enough to Apple’s own device ecosystem that it’s not something other software or malware would plausibly be using.

How to check port 62078 on macOS

lsof -i :62078

You should see lockdownd as the owner, correlating with a connected or recently connected iOS device.

Portie is useful here mainly for the “wait, what is that” moment: confirming that a port you don’t recognize is actually a routine part of Apple’s own device sync, not something to chase down further.