What Happens if Someone Has My IP Address | How To Protect My IP

 

What Is IP Address

An Internet Protocol address (IP address) is a numerical label assigned to each device (e.g., computer, printer, smartphones) participating in a network that uses the Internet Protocol for communications.

There are two versions of IP addresses, IPv4 and IPv6.

1. IPv4

IP (version 4) addresses are 32-bit integers that can be expressed in hexadecimal notation. The more common format, known as dotted quad or dotted decimal, is x.x.x.x, where each x can be any value between 0 and 255. For example, 192.0.2.146 is a valid IPv4 address.

IPv4 still routes most of today’s internet traffic. A 32-bit address space limits the number of unique hosts to 232, which is nearly 4.3 billion IPv4 addresses for the world to use (4,294,967,296, to be exact).

The IPv4 address has two parts, the network part and the host part. A subnet mask is used to identify these parts.

• Network Part

The network part of the IPv4 address is on the left-hand side of the IP address. It specifies the particular network to where the IPv4 address belongs. The network portion of the address also identifies the IP address class of the IPv4 address.

For example, we have the IPv4 address 192.168.10.100 and a /24 subnet mask. /24 simply means that the first 24 bits, starting from the left side, is the network portion of the IPv4 address. The 8 remaining bits of the 32 bits will be the host portion.

 

• Host Part

The host portion of the IPv4 address uniquely identifies the device or the interface on your network. Hosts that have the same network portion can communicate with one another directly, without the need for the traffic to be routed.

2. IPv6

An IPv6 address is a 128-bit alphanumeric value that identifies an endpoint device in an Internet Protocol Version 6 (IPv6) network. IPv6 is the successor to a previous addressing infrastructure, IPv4, which had limitations IPv6 was designed to overcome. Notably, IPv6 has drastically increased address space compared to IPv4.

There are three types of IPv6 addresses.

[ Unicast and Multicast, Anycast ]

• Unicast Address

Unicast Address identifies a single network interface. A packet sent to a unicast address is delivered to the interface identified by that address. 

• Multicast Address

Multicast Address is used by multiple hosts, called as Group, acquires a multicast destination address. These hosts need not be geographically together. If any packet is sent to this multicast address, it will be distributed to all interfaces corresponding to that multicast address. 

• Anycast Address

Anycast Address is assigned to a group of interfaces. Any packet sent to an anycast address will be delivered to only one member interface (mostly nearest host possible). 

Types of IP addresses.

Private IP address

Every device that connects to your internet network has a private IP address. This includes computers, smartphones, and tablets but also any Bluetooth-enabled devices like speakers, printers, or smart TVs. With the growing internet of things, the number of private IP addresses you have at home is probably growing. Your router needs a way to identify these items separately, and many items need a way to recognize each other. Therefore, your router generates private IP addresses that are unique identifiers for each device that differentiate them on the network.

Public IP address

A public IP address is the primary address associated with your whole network. While each connected device has its own IP address, they are also included within the main IP address for your network. As described above, your public IP address is provided to your router by your ISP. Typically, ISPs have a large pool of IP addresses that they distribute to their customers. Your public IP address is the address that all the devices outside your internet network will use to recognize your network.

How do IP addresses work

If you want to understand why a particular device is not connecting in the way you would expect or you want to troubleshoot why your network may not be working, it helps understand how IP addresses work.

Internet Protocol works the same way as any other language, by communicating using set guidelines to pass information. All devices find, send, and exchange information with other connected devices using this protocol. By speaking the same language, any computer in any location can talk to one another.

The use of IP addresses typically happens behind the scenes. The process works like this:

• Your device indirectly connects to the internet by connecting at first to a network connected to the internet, which then grants your device access to the internet.

• When you are at home, that network will probably be your Internet Service Provider (ISP). At work, it will be your company network.

• Your IP address is assigned to your device by your ISP.

• Your internet activity goes through the ISP, and they route it back to you, using your IP address. Since they are giving you access to the internet, it is their role to assign an IP address to your device.

• However, your IP address can change. For example, turning your modem or router on or off can change it. Or you can contact your ISP, and they can change it for you.

• When you are out and about for example, traveling and you take your device with you, your home IP address does not come with you. This is because you will be using another network (Wi-Fi at a hotel, airport, or coffee shop, etc.) to access the internet and will be using a different (and temporary) IP address, assigned to you by the ISP of the hotel, airport or coffee shop.

 

How Can I See My Own IP Address?

Android

You can find your IP addresses on an Android device by doing the following:

• Open Settings menu.

• Choose About.

• Select Status.

• You should see your IP address listed.

iPhone

To find your IP address on an iPhone:

• On the home screen, choose Settings.

• Select Wi-Fi.

• Choose the network you’re connected to.

• Your IP address should appear at the top of the screen

How Does Someone Get Your IP Address

Your IP address holds important information that a hacker or cybercriminal can use for malicious purposes . Here are some of the ways they can get yours IP.

Email: Some email servers list your IP address in the email heading. If you’re concerned about this, look for email servers that don’t, such as Gmail.

Torrenting files: When you torrent, your IP address is visible in the peers list. Using a VPN for torrenting can circumvent this problem, though.

Phishing attacks: Responding to phishing attacks or clicking on bogus links can make your IP address vulnerable to hackers.

Online ads: When you click an ad , your IP address given to the ad provider . Some ads , however , can be illegitimate and created by hackers .

Your computer: It may seem obvious, but if you lend your device to someone, even for a minute or two, they can find your IP address in the device settings easily.

On social networks: While using social media is fun, these platforms collect a lot of sensitive information about your life, friends, habits, interests, and your IP

Fake hotspot: Hackers can set a fake hotspot and view your IP address and personal information or even infect your device with malware.

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 IP.

What Happens If Someone Has My IP Address?

Your IP address is a number that identifies you when you’re online. You need it to send and receive data, watch Netflix, or browse Wikipedia entries. Precisely because it’s so very useful, your IP address is a valuable piece of information.

What can someone do with it if they gain access to it? The possibilities range from minor inconveniences to full-on cyberattacks, and perhaps even physical attacks as well.

Location: An IP address indicates which city you are in. Once someone finds out, they can also roam online and find your real address. Many home invaders keep an eye on social media so they know when homeowners are out of town. If they have IP addresses, it's usually pretty easy to know which houses to hit, so be sure to secure your home while you're away.

Send you personalized spam: Advertisers become more sophisticated every day. Lately, many advertisers have begun embedding tracking programs in online articles. These trackers record your IP address and send you targeted ads based on your browsing. For example, you might read an article about how to raise bonsai trees. The next thing you know, you’re getting emails from local nurseries.

DoS/DDoS attack: With your IP address, someone can execute a DoS (denial of service) attack against you. Essentially, such attacks prevent you from accessing network resources, including a website you visit, online accounts, and even email. The most common method for such attacks is to flood your address with server requests, overloading and disabling your system with traffic. A DDoS (distributed denial of service) attack works similarly, only it involves multiple machines so the traffic is even more intense. That’s why many people use VPNs to block DDoS attacks.

Impersonate: A skilled hacker can use your IP address to impersonate you online, routing activity through your address instead of their own. Ultimately, they could frame you for buying drugs, downloading child pornography, or even creating national security threats.

Infect Your Device with Malware: A skilled hacker can access your device by knowing your IP address and testing it with different ports. They would have to go through many ports using brute-force techniques, but it’s possible. It’s even easier for a cybercriminal to get access to your device when you’re connected to public Wi-Fi networks.

Cybercriminals can use these methods to install malware on your devices, steal your information, and track your online activity without you ever knowing. They can also discover your email address through your IP and send you spam or phishing attacks.

Sell it on the dark web: Not all thieves are looking to cash in by impersonating you. Some are happy just to steal your IP address and sell it on the dark web.

Track Your Activity: Not everyone wants to use your IP address for illegal purposes. Many employers, especially with the advent of telecommunications, will attempt to track your movements through your IP addresses. While such practices may not technically be illegal, they are still an invasion of your privacy.

How To Protect IP Address From Hackers?

Update your firewall: Firewalls ca not protect you if you don’t use them properly. Make sure you use secure passwords on your firewall, your router, and all your devices and accounts. You should also make it a habit to update these passwords regularly. Doing so will help prevent anyone from breaching your security.

Change your privacy settings: Hackers can gain access to your IP address through messaging apps such as Skype. Make sure your messaging apps are set to private, and don’t accept calls or messages from anyone you don’t know.

Use a VPN: A VPN, or virtual private network, routes your internet activity through one or more servers and assigns you a new IP address. The best VPN services assign you an address that no one can trace back to you.

Use Tor Browser: Tor is a web browser that lets you browse online anonymously. Like a VPN or proxy server, Tor hides your IP address, in this case by routing it through an open-source network of other Tor users.

Use a proxy server: Like VPNs, proxy servers also hide your IP address when you’re logged in. Unlike VPNs, proxy servers don’t use high-end encryption to shield your online activity. They only hide your IP address.