What You Can Do With an IP Address, and How to Hide Yours
With someone’s IP address, you can learn a user’s general location, and disable some parts of their internet browsing device connected to the internet has an IP address, which helps websites identify your third-party programs or services, someone with your IP address could possibly block you from reaching certain you’re concerned about the security of your IP address, consider installing a firewall and Business Insider’s Tech Reference library for more stories.
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Every device that connects to the internet has an IP (Internet Protocol) address. The
IP address, which is composed of a series of numbers separated by decimal points, looks something like “198. 169. 0. 100. ” This number is used to help devices talk to each other and exchange data. Your network router has its own IP address, of course, as does every device on your network. But because these identifiers are so important, that means a hacker can potentially use them against you. Here’s what you should know about your IP address, and what it can be used for.
What you can do with an IP addressFirstly: most users won’t have to worry about any of this. It’s unlikely that any hacker would take the time to learn your specific IP address, and manipulate your specific device. There’s no real reward in it for them, so unless they love playing pranks, it would be a waste of fact, every website you visit already knows your IP address — that’s how they know to load on your computer, as opposed to someone else’ said, armed with your IP address, someone has the potential to take certain actions against your network. As such, it’s a good idea to keep your IP private from individuals you don’t could:
Block you from accessing websitesIt’s possible to use your IP address to prevent you from performing certain online activities. The most common example of this is blocking your ability to reach a certain site, or to post messages in forums or the comment section of web sites. In fact, this is the most common way that website administrators ban rulebreakers. It’s often referred to as an “IP Ban. “Your IP address can also be used to block or ban you from playing online games on some gaming services.
Learn your general geographic location Your IP address can reveal your geographic location. In most cases, this won’t be any more specific than your city and state. In rare cases, it could be as specific as your IP address also carries the name of your Internet Service Provider (the company that gives you internet access — think Spectrum, or Xfinity).
Your IP address signals where you are. ; William Antonelli/Business Insider
While there’s not a lot someone can do with this information, it can be combined with details from other sources to piece together data about your identity.
Perform a Denial of Service AttackKnowing your IP address, a malicious user may be able to perform a Denial of Service (DoS) attack, in which your network is flooded with data. It prevents normal traffic from getting through and overloads the network’s ability to function. However, these attacks are usually directed at large companies or websites — it’s rare that anyone would set up a DoS attack on a regular user.
How to protect your IP addressWhile there are some risks, your IP address alone poses very limited danger to you or your network. Your IP address can’t be used to reveal your identity or specific location, nor can it be used to hack into or remotely take control of your computer. That said, if you’re still concerned, a few simple precautions can help protect and foremost, your network should be protected with a firewall. Most routers have firewalls built in, but you should contact your router manufacturer or internet service provider to learn about your additional protection, you can use Virtual Private Network (
VPN) software. A VPN hides your IP address from all outside users, making it extremely difficult for someone to uncover your IP address or monitor your online activity.
NordVPN is one of the most popular VPN services.
NordVPN; William Antonelli/Business Insider
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Dave Johnson
Freelance Writer
Dave Johnson is a technology journalist who writes about consumer tech and how the industry is transforming the speculative world of science fiction into modern-day real life. Dave grew up in New Jersey before entering the Air Force to operate satellites, teach space operations, and do space launch planning. He then spent eight years as a content lead on the Windows team at Microsoft. As a photographer, Dave has photographed wolves in their natural environment; he’s also a scuba instructor and co-host of several podcasts. Dave is the author of more than two dozen books and has contributed to many sites and publications including CNET, Forbes, PC World, How To Geek, and Insider.
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3 Easy Ways To Find Someone’s IP Address – Medium
An IP address is simply a numeric address used in networks to identify and/or locate network devices like computers and mobile phones etc. There can be many situations where you need to know someone’s IP address. It is useful in cases when you need to blacklist a device or block an IP while still keeping yourself anonymous or simply when you want to trace someone to determine his/her exact location. Luckily, here are three ways for instantly finding an IP address:1: Use Command PromptOne of the simplest ways to identify IP address is by using the command prompt on windows devices. Only thing you need to do is to open the command prompt and on the DOS screen, type “ping”
How to Find Someone’s IP Address – Hotspot Shield
There are a few different reasons why you might want to find someone’s IP address. Maybe you need to create a secure connection between two devices or allow someone access to your business’s network. Perhaps you want to block an IP address or blacklist a device while remaining anonymous. Or maybe you want to trace someone online to find the person’s physical location. Fortunately, there are a few methods for finding an IP address either for a website or an individual the Command PromptOn Windows devices, you can find an IP address for a website with the command prompt. It’s easiest to find the command prompt from the search box in the Start menu. For Mac devices, the application is known as Terminal and is found in the Utilities folder. Once you’ve located the command prompt, open it and you’ll see a black DOS screen appear. Now, you can use a ping to find the IP address. A ping will attempt to establish a connection between your device and the one with the IP address you’re looking the command prompt screen, type the words “ping host address, ” where “host address” equals the address of the website you’re looking to trace, and hit Enter. For example, if you want to find the IP address of Facebook, you would type the words “ping and then press enter. Now, your computer will try to find the server for that site. If it’s successful, the IP address you’re searching for will appear! When you want to find someone’s IP address, an email from them is one of the best places to check. IP address information can be found using a function embedded in most email programs. This method varies depending on the type of email service or program you’re using. The “headers” information is the most important thing to look for. There should be an option called “Internet headers” or simply “headers” in the settings of your email program. Turning on this option displays a new range of data on your messages, including the sender’s IP ’s critical to remember that header information can’t always be trusted. In fact, it can be fake! So whenever you find an IP address using this method, perform an IP check by using the command prompt to ping the address and confirm its simplest and most reliable way to access an IP address is to use one of the many IP lookup tools available online. Different organizations have developed different methods for finding a user’s IP address. Most of these methods are legitimate, but some are questionable. Websites such as offer help finding IP addresses and uncovering where they’re located. Be sure to double-check IP address information you find to verify its now have the tools to find someone’s IP address or perform a reliable IP check whenever you need to. However, you also know the tools people can use to find you. If you want to protect your privacy and keep people from tracing your IP address and finding your location, we can help. Our reliable VPN service passes your Internet traffic through our servers, hiding its origin so you can browse anonymously. Try it for free now to protect your privacy wnload Hotspot Shield VPN. It’s Free! Join over 650 million users already enjoying absolute Internet Freedom around the world by downloading Hotspot Shield Hotspot Shield