What can someone do with my IP address? – NordVPN
There are dangers to someone knowing your IP address, but they’re rarely discussed. Criminals can use your IP to launch various cyberattacks and scams against you and others. Before we begin, however, let’s start with finding out what your personal IP address is: What is my IP? By the end of this post, you’ll know what to protect yourself against and discover ways to hide your IP address. Pretty can someone find my IP address? Your IP address is a unique string of numbers assigned to you by your ISP – like a delivery address for online traffic. If you connect to a different Wi-Fi or move house, your IP address will change along with your ISPs use dynamic IP addresses, which aren’t fixed to your device, but you can have a static IP if you wish to (you can learn more about different types of IP addresses here). For example, if you want your computer IP address to always stay the same, you’ll be able to specify that through the device’s settings. This can be useful when port-forwarding, if you want certain data to be sent directly from your router to your computer IP your IP address holds certain information about you, someone may want to use it for malicious purposes. There plenty of ways people can get hold of your IP address. Here are just a few:By borrowing your device. If somebody borrows or uses your computer, they can find out what your IP address is in seconds, as there are countless free websites that let you do an email. If you send an email to someone, they can check the header of the message, which could contain your IP address. Yahoo! and Microsoft Outlook are known to include IP addresses in the email icking on a link. Any link you click on will need to provide your iP address for the server at the other end to deliver the content provided by the link. Whoever owns that server will see your IP hacking your router. If somebody has guessed your router’s password and logged in, they can easily view your IP a web server. Every time you visit a website, your IP address is collected and stored on a server. Anyone who owns that server can go and look up your icking on an ad. When you click on an ad, you’re giving your IP to the service provider. Some online ads can be created by malicious actors and put your security at rticipating in online forums. If you like to participate in various discussions when you’re connected to the internet at home, forum admins can view your public IP address and sniff out your nnecting to a fake hotspot. Hackers can set a fake hotspot and view your IP address and personal information or even infect your device with social networks. While using social media is fun, these platforms collect a lot of sensitive information about your life, friends, habits, interests, and your tracing an IP address illegal? Tracing your IP address is legal as long as it’s not used for criminal activities. The websites you visit, apps you use, and even your ISP collect your IP address along with other personal ever, individual users can also easily trace your IP address. If they don’t intend to harm you in any way, there’s no such law that would forbid them to snoop on you — unless their curiosity involves hacking or social engineering a VPN hide my IP address? Yes, it does. A VPN completely hides your IP address and encrypts your internet connection. Even better, a VPN prevents third parties like your ISP from eavesdropping on your data. Your online activity cannot be traced back to you, giving you a powerful layer of rdVPN has more than 5500 servers in 59 countries, providing you with the best speeds available. With one NordVPN account, you can protect up to six different devices: smartphones, tablets, laptops, and more. You can also install it on your router and secure gadgets that don’t support VPN functionality can jump from one server to another in seconds, changing your IP address and masking your location. Protect your online privacy out NordVPN on the latest cyber news and tipsWhat can people do with your IP? While your IP address won’t give away sensitive information like your phone number or apartment position, hackers can still use your IP against you. If a cybercriminal knows your IP address, the consequences can be devastating:Someone can get your location and intrude on your privacy in real lifeYour IP address shows what city you’re in, so if someone ill-intentioned finds it out, you could be in trouble. Let’s say you’ve announced that you’re going on holiday on your social media. A criminal only needs to do a little extra digging to find your house and burgle it while you’re meone can use your IP to hack your deviceThe internet uses ports as well as your IP address to connect. There are thousands of ports for every IP address, and a hacker who has your IP can try all of those ports to brute-force a connection, taking over your phone for example and stealing your a criminal does get access to your device, they could also install malware on it, which could expose your meone can impersonate you to get hold of your IP addressYour ISP could reveal your IP address to someone else. Criminals who know your name on social media can contact your ISP and try to impersonate you or use a vishing attack to steal your personal details. Remember that telecom operators are only humans who use systems with vast amounts of personally identifiable information. Employers can track your activityIPs are owned by ISPs, and each IP is assigned to a user. When you’re connected to your work network your employers could potentially see and track everything you do online – giving you hardly any privacy at all. A hacker can hit you with a DDoS attackIf a hacker has your IP address, they could harm you with a DDoS (Distributed Denial of Service) attack. A DDoS attack uses an army of computers controlled by a hacker to flood your device with traffic so it disconnects from the internet and completely shuts bercriminals can frame you for illegal activityHackers are known to use hacked IP addresses to download illegal content that threatens national security as well as anything else they don’t want traced back to them. Protect your IP address, and you will protect do I stop someone from using my IP address? You should always protect any personally identifiable information even if you think the risks do not apply to you. With enough determination, a bad actor can stitch together an entire identity just by going online, and your IP could be the starting are three ways to protect your IP address and prevent yourself from being exploited by hackers: Change your privacy settingsChange the settings on all your instant messaging as well as any other apps to “private” and don’t accept calls or messages from people you don’t know. Hackers are known to gain access to your IP address through messaging apps like Skype. Update your firewall and routerA criminal can hack your router remotely and retrieve your IP address, especially if you’re still using the default one. Change the password of your router regularly and be sure to use a long mix of upper and lower case letters, numbers, and special characters. Use a VPNA VPN will protect your IP address and your private information. By routing your online data through a VPN server with its own IP address, you can prevent websites from logging information about your device and location. While you might be principally interested in VPNs for their IP-switching functionality, they also come with a range of additional other benefits can a VPN offer? A VPN will establish an encrypted tunnel between your device and a VPN server. That means that no one can spy on your data as it moves from your device to the server — not even your internet service provider (ISP) has never been more valuable. Your ISP can monitor your activity and sell that information to advertisers and other third parties. Hackers can steal your passwords and use your private details to launch phishing attacks. It’s vital that you protect your rdVPN provides a number of extra features that you might find particularly useful. Our CyberSec system will enhance your protection against malware by shielding you from high-risk websites and other known threats. When Kill Switch is enabled, you can avoid any unexpected data exposure. And with the NordLynx protocol, you can enjoy unrivaled speeds, without compromising on out NordVPN on the latest cyber news and tips
Zen Bahar
Verified author
Zen likes to use her cybersecurity knowledge to help protect the privacy and freedom of others, otherwise, you can find her playing with paints in her studio in London.
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
‘What is my IP? ‘: Here’s what an IP address does, and how to find yours’What is a good internet speed? ‘: The internet speeds you should aim for, based on how you use the internet’What is Wi-Fi calling? ‘: How to make calls from your smartphone even if you don’t have a cell signalHow to find the IP address of your internet router using a Mac, PC, iPhone, or AndroidNo, Bluetooth doesn’t use cellular data — here’s how the popular wireless technology connects your devices
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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What Can Someone Do With My IP Address – SwitchVPN
Your IP address is your own unique address that identifies your device and location on the web. To access the Internet, your devices – and all other devices online – each has an IP (internet protocol), what’s the big deal if someone gets ahold of your IP? Giving someone your IP address is not quite the same as handing over your credit card details or your social security number, but it will give outsiders an “in” to access your private world that they would have to work much harder to attain without your IP. Unfortunately, if your IP address falls into the hands of hackers or cybercriminals, this numerical identifier can empower them with very valuable information about you, like your online location and identity, that will make it easier for them to hack into your computer or personal accounts, or otherwise compromise your privacy Is IP? Before we get into what someone can do with your IP, let’s first address what an IP meone’s IP address is their “Internet Protocol” address – a numerical tag assigned to all devices that are connected to mobile data or wifi networks, used for all communication on the web. The main purpose of an IP is for location identification and interface with other sites on Internet You Can Find Your IP AddressDon’t be overwhelmed if you don’t know how to find your own IP; You can uncover your public IP address by using an online IP lookup tool like the one on this site. When you get to this site, you will see your 7-digit IP number, as well as a pin marking your actual location on a map, your ISP, city, and you want to find your IP on your computer, you can also type in “Command Prompt” to find all of your IP info for the network adapters that are in IP address identifies the location in which you are accessing the Internet, so if you bring your computer from your house to the public library, your IP address will reflect the library’s location and your Internet Service Provider (ISP) uses dynamic IP addresses, this means that they are not tied to your device. A dynamic IP address will change intermittently, as opposed to a static IP address, which ensures that your device’s IP address is always the same. Static IP addresses are usually used by servers – not your personal your IP address is just a series of numbers, it can give people access to private information that can put you at risk for hacks or Can Someone Find My IP Address? Unfortunately, there are plenty of ways people can find your IP address. Here are some of the most common ones:1. Email services:When you send someone an email, as I’m sure you do often, your IP address is sometimes written in its header. While Gmail leaves this address out of its email headers, platforms like Yahoo and Microsoft Outlook list it. 2. Torrenting files:If you are downloading files using a torrent client, your IP address is visible to seeders and leechers in your swarm just by looking at the peers list. In addition, people often don’t realize that torrent traffic and IP addresses linked to p2p file-sharing are constantly being logged (by torrent monitoring). 3. Phishing attacks and corrupt links:How many times per day do you click on links online? A lot, right? Any time you click on a link, your IP address is given to the destination server, giving them access to your IP data. Clickbait is a prime example of a tactic cyber-scammers use to get your IP address and access to your information. Fake links; an alluring, strategically placed, online ad; and fake websites – often very similar to the real website – trick you into entering your details, all of which then lets hackers download malicious software on your operating system or hack into your private data. 4. Lending out your device:Be vigilant about who you allow to use your device. If someone you do not fully trust uses your computer or device, he can easily find your IP address in no time just by googling “What is my IP? “5. Online advertisements:Nowadays, our browsing habits are tracked and online ads are often targeted directly at us. If you click on one of these ads – particularly on social media sites – your IP address will be visible to hackers and advertisers who planted the ad. This is another one of the phishing methods used to connect to your private Can Someone Do With Your IP? Once the wrong person gets ahold of your IP address, hackers, criminals, and even your ISP can use it against you in numerous ways. This is what someone can do with your IP:1. Track you online:Like we mentioned before, your IP address is not based on your device, but on your network. If you connect your mobile phone or laptop to a work network or a school network, all of your online activity can potentially be tracked by the school administration or by your boss. Hack into your device:If a hacker gets ahold of your IP, he can then try to scan for any open ports he can find. If he can’t find an open port he can try out all of the different ports for your IP address and take control of your device with brute force. Once the hacker accesses your device, he can then steal your information or install malware. Sell your IP on the dark web:To make a dime, cyber-attackers have been known to sell users’ IP addresses on the dark web. Via this route, criminals can buy all sorts of illegal stuff in order to impersonate you or use your personal information to scam you in another way. Compromise your real-life location:When your IP is compromised, this puts you and your family in harm’s way in real life. When a criminal sees your IP, it makes it easier for him to quickly figure out your exact location. This can be particularly dangerous if he is able to access your social media, where you announce to the cyberworld that you are going to be at work all day, making you vulnerable to robberies or break-ins. 5. Bust you for downloading copyrighted files:If you have been violating any copyright laws, the authorities, or copyright agencies, can track you based on your IP address and either sue you or prosecute for a torrenting crime or other illegal things you’ve done online. 6. Steal your identity:Someone can impersonate you to get ahold of your IP address on your cell phone provider’s network. If your ISP shares your real IP address with someone posing as you, they’ll then easily be able to get their hands on your personal data. While most ISPs are doing their best not to fall for these scams, telecom operators do make mistakes. 7. Affect online gaming:When playing online games, someone on the platform can simply decide to block you from playing. If he does this, it’s your IP address being banned from gaming servers. While this ability to block IP addresses can be useful if someone is being abusive, it can backfire if players block users from online activities without cause. 8. Block access to online service:If you’re looking to gain access to certain websites that are geo-restricted, these websites can block you based on your IP address – which reveals your physical address. Content providers – like Hulu or Netflix – will turn you away from their websites when they see you’re not in their permitted geographic region to connect their To Prevent Others From Discovering And Exploiting Your IPOk, so now that you know that any hacker can gain remote access to your personal details through your IP address, what can you do to prevent this? Check out these simple steps to help keep you and your IP addresses and valuable information secure on the Internet:1. Keep your router secure:A cyber-criminal can remotely access your network. Make sure to update your router password routinely with a complicated password – not something simple like your birthdate. Update your settings:One way to protect yourself is to enhance your privacy settings. If you change your settings to “private” on your social media apps, and make sure to never click on links from people who are not in your contacts, it’ll be harder for hackers to access your data. Get a reputable VPN service:A VPN (virtual private network) will mask your IP address so that no one will be able to access your actual location – including your ISP, hackers, or third parties. When you connect to a VPN proxy server, you get a new IP address that reflects your server location – not your actual location. A VPN connection sends your traffic through military-grade encryption so it will be completely indecipherable if anyone is able to access it. With a VPN, if you are downloading torrent files, or on an unsecured website, your online activity cannot be traced to you. A VPN is the ideal solution to keep your IP address and online activity anonymous and secure, no matter what website you nclusionNow that you know that your IP address can put you at risk online, the very best step to take that will give you maximal protection is to use a reputable VPN whenever you are SwitchVPN today!