What can someone do with your IP address, and how do you protect yourself?

In this blog, we look at various ways you can protect IP address. Your internet service provider (ISP) provides an IP address, which is a unique numerical identifier for a device or network connected to the Internet. There are two versions of IP addresses: IPv4 and IPv6. IPv4 is a set of four dotted decimal numbers separated by a period, while IPv6 is eight groups of four hexadecimal digits separated by colons. 

If a hacker knows your IP address, they can use it to obtain information from your device. They might hack your device, or eavesdrop on your online traffic, or launch a larger attack.

 How someone can get your IP address?

Before you learn more about IP address protection, it is important to understand how to hack an IP address. The hacker can easily find your IP address in the following ways:

• By connecting to your network.
• Running a website, every time you visit a website, it logs your IP address.
• Legitimate and phishing ads can record your website when you click on them. 
• Reading emails, some email clients display your IP address in the header.
• Moderate forum thread, administrators of the forum can see your IP when you post.
• You reveal your IP address when you upload or download files from a P2P file sharing like a torrent.
• Set up a fake Wi-Fi hotspot.
• By physically accessing your device
• Use social engineering attacks to trick you to reveal your IP address. 

Also read: Cybersecurity During Work from home | A Security Checklist

How can someone use your IP address?

If you are still wondering why hiding an IP address is important. Hackers can use your IP address against you even though it won’t reveal private information like your phone number or precise location. A cybercriminal can use your IP address for malicious purposes such as:

• Cybercriminals can use your IP address to determine your geographical location, allowing them to track your activity on social media and gather information from comments and photos. They can use the information to commit crimes like robbery or stalking.
• Hackers can use IP addresses to steal personal information, using phishing techniques to trick service providers into revealing sensitive information, making their attempts seem legitimate. IP addresses do not disclose personal information but can be used for unauthorized access.
• IP addresses and sensitive data is sold on the dark web, potentially bundled with personal information. Some VPN providers offer dark web monitoring to alert users to potential accounts and protect online data.
• Cybercriminals can exploit your IP address and thousands of ports to gain unauthorized access to your device. Without proper security measures, they can steal data, infect with malware, and continue their hacking activities in secret.
• Employers and snoopers can track your online activity through assigned IPs by ISPs, allowing them to monitor your work and home networks.
• Online advertisers use tracking programs to collect data on user interactions, including IP addresses and send targeted ads and spam. VPN hides IP addresses and protects users from trackers and annoying ads, ensuring they don’t receive ads about local services.
• Online service providers can block IP addresses to restrict access to certain regions or if they suspect rule violations or disapprove of your actions. 
• Your IP address can be the gateway for hackers to execute denial of service (DOS) or distributed denial of service attacks (DDoS). They use controlled computers to bombard your device with data, causing it to disconnect from the network and shut down. Hackers often target popular companies and websites, performing service attacks to bring them down and demand a massive payout.
• Hackers can impersonate your IP address, routing online activities and potentially framing you for drug purchases or child pornography.

Hiding your IP address can help to protect your device.

Also read: Cybersecurity | How To Build A Successful Career In Cybersecurity?

How to protect your IP address?

Now that you know the risks and ways hackers can access IP address. In this section we focus on how to block my ip address from attacks. 

• Update your firewall-Firewalls are designed to keep you safe, but only if you use them properly. Remember to use strong passwords on your network, firewall, and all other devices and accounts. Make it a practice to update these passwords frequently. You can make it harder for someone to compromise your security.
• Change privacy setting-Hackers can access your IP address through messaging apps such as Skype. Ensure you set your messenger to private and avoid accepting messages from someone you do not know. You can opt out of or restrict where your real IP address is shared with several of them.
• Use a VPN-If you are wondering how to hide your IP address, you can use a VPN or virtual proxy network, changes your IP address, and directs your internet traffic through one or more servers. The finest VPN services provide you with a unique address that is untraceable.
• Proxy server- Proxy servers, like VPNs, can protect your IP address when you are signed in. Proxy servers don’t protect your internet activity with advanced encryption. Only conceal your IP address.
• Tor -You can use Tor to mask your IP address while browsing. If you require more speed, you may need another option. 
• Dynamic IP address- Request dynamic IP address from your ISP; they may be able to give one to you. Instead of utilizing a static IP address that never changes, you receive a new one every few hours.
• Use mobile data when available.

Understanding IP address vulnerabilities is crucial for safeguarding online presence from hackers. Use strong firewalls, password updates, privacy settings, VPNs, proxy servers, and Tor tools to maintain digital security in an interconnected world.

Shubha Roy

Shubha writes blogs, articles, off-page content, Google reviews, marketing email, press release, website content based on the keywords. She has written articles on tourism, horoscopes, medical conditions and procedures, SEO and digital marketing, graphic design, and technical articles. Shubha is a skilled researcher and can write plagiarism free articles with a high Grammarly score.