What can a hacker do with just an IP address?

A device that connects to the internet is usually given a unique identification number known as an IP address or internet protocol address. It serves as a device address on the internet. Even though the majority of users frequently ignore it, hackers might use it as a potent instrument to gather information about our cyberspace activity.

Public and Private IP Addresses

Public and private IP addresses are the two primary categories of IP addresses. Before delving further into networking principles, it is imperative to understand the distinctions between them.

Your ISP (Internet Service Provider) gives your router a distinct IP address when it connects it to the internet. This address serves as your network’s unique online identity, facilitating efficient data transmission and device communication. It’s crucial for locating your network amid innumerable others, much like a distinct house number on a street.

However, not every device that is connected to your router shares this public IP address with it directly. Rather, the router gives every device connected to your network a different form of IP address, referred to as a private or local IP address. The limited number of public IP addresses was the reason behind the creation of this system.

Devices can locate and communicate with one another within the network?because of the uniqueness of each private IP within your network. While public IP addresses act as your network’s single identity on the wider internet, private IP addresses create a distinct internal addressing system within your network.

A hacker outside of your network can’t do much with just a local IP address, but it’s not completely useless to them?either.

However, there may be a security risk if a hacker manages to obtain your public IP address. They don’t instantly obtain access to your devices, but it might be exploited for malicious scans or targeted attacks.

What can a hacker accomplish with a Public IP address?

A device’s or user’s geographical location can be ascertained using their public?IP address. You may be confident that while it can identify the city or region where your device is located, it cannot pinpoint your precise location or home address.

Location tracking may seem innocuous but a knowledgeable hacker could exploit this data to obtain personal information from your ISP. A malicious attempt to overload a website, server, or network with traffic from several sources is known as a distributed denial of service attack. In this case, hackers send an excessive amount of data to your device via a compromised computer network, sometimes known as a botnet.

Consequently, the device has a slowdown in performance or becomes unusable for users. DDoS assaults are typically carried out by hackers to demand money from businesses. If a ransom is not paid, they can threaten to carry out the attack once more or incessantly.

A hacker with your IP address can find open ports on your device or network by using a port scanner such as nmap. One tool for figuring out which network ports are open, closed, or filtered is a port scanner. A hacker can find possible weaknesses and access your device by looking for open ports. From there, they can use malware to infect your device, steal confidential data stored on it, figure out passwords or credit card details, and use your identity to commit fraud.

Not every hacker is motivated to steal personal data though. Some wish to make money by selling IP addresses on the dark web. They might be purchased by other malevolent parties for DDoS, phishing, fraud, and hacking purposes.

Selling IP addresses is prohibited by laws and regulations in several jurisdictions though. Selling IP addresses without authorization may have legal repercussions.

Creating phony profiles with identical usernames and generating persuasive messages to trick others are common practices in impersonation. IP addresses are not the primary means of impersonation, but they can be used in conjunction with other strategies to create a convincing illusion.

Your name, phone number, birthdate, and social security number are among the sensitive information that hackers could be able to get. They may impersonate you on social media or make phony websites using your information. For instance, a hacker may utilize the victim’s IP address to purchase illegal narcotics online or spread hate speech and propaganda.

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Boney Maundu

Tech Contractor & Writer

Slim Bz TechSystems: Nairobi